Unrequited
by GoingVintage
Summary: Post Babygate reveal, Rachel and Puck form an unlikely friendship. But feelings ALWAYS complicate things. Will be multi-chapter.....
1. A Peace Offering

**Author's note: So here's the latest story. It takes place after Season 1, Episode 13. Will DEFINITELY be multi-chapter! Probably won't update this one as fast....I've been writing so much that my house is a neglected disaster (then again, I type 80+ words a minute so I can push out chapters pretty fast once they've been sketched out.) Hubby doesn't see the mess so it's up to me or we'll be living in a trash heap!**

**Author's Note no. 2: For those of you who are obsessed with Mark Salling's amazing...everything, be sure to check out the "Media" page on his website (www(dot)marksallingmusic(dot)com). If you haven't already watched it – check out the video called "Pipe Dreams." It is completely swoon-worthy, believe me. The man is singing to his grandma, people – that is LOVE!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee. They still frolic in my brain and won't leave. So I write.....**

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It was the unlikeliest of friendships – the kind tentatively built on quicksand that could suck it down at any moment and reduce it to a pile of rubble. It all started on the Saturday morning following Sectionals. Babygate had burst wide open, thanks to the flapping jaws of semi-psychic Rachel Berry. Since the competition, no one had either seen nor heard much out of Noah Puckerman. He had managed to skip school most of the week (which was hardly a feat for him.) His absence and Rachel's overriding guilt about her part in the whole affair resulted in an imprompu baking session on Saturday morning. By 10am, her signature "I'm sorry" cookies were iced, plated, foiled over, and ready for delivery.

Sliding her Honda Fit into his driveway, she nearly lost her nerve. She and Noah weren't exactly friends. They had a...silent understanding. Since their brief relationship and subsequent break-up, she had been spared from his Slushie-throwing attacks. But the civility of the relationship ended there. No, he wasn't outwardly hostile. But he wasn't rushing to befriend her either. Add their strained relationship to the fact that he was usually surly, even while being breathtakingly handsome, made Rachel a bigger ball of nerves than she usually was when it came to the awkwardness of dealing with boys. Even so, she was on a mission to seek forgiveness. If not complete forgiveness, at least an impasse. So she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

She heard heavy footsteps clomping down the stairs and the door jerked open. He stood in the open door for a moment, looking at her. Wordlessly, he started to close it.

Panicking, she exclaimed. "Noah, wait!"

The door continued to close. In a last-ditch effort, she blurted out "I brought homemade cookies!" just as the door was about to close. The movement ceased and the door was pulled back open. Not saying a word, he nodded for her to come inside.

_Awkward_, was all she could think as she stepped through the door and into the foyer of his small but comfortable house. Again without speaking, he motioned for her to step into the kitchen. She handed him the plate of cookies. He sat them down on the countertop and pulled back the foil. Seeing the "I'm sorry" iced in yellow with her feminine scrawl resulted in his first reaction since her arrival. He actually smiled.

Finally, he spoke. "So what do I owe this...honor?"

Rachel forgot what she was going to say. She had an entire speech prepared and had even practiced it to ensure that her apology was both sincere and heartfelt without being overly emotional. But as she looked at his eyes, noticing the dark rings of exhaustion around them, her neurons ceased firing. "Umm...I wanted to just come by and apologize."

"For what?" He asked, grabbing a cookie off the plate.

"...umm...for my involvement in the secret being revealed...which then resulted in your getting punched in the face...which then resulted in our chances at sectionals being severely jeopardized...not to mention angering Finn and Quinn."

He just stared at her, like he was waiting for lobsters to sprout from her earlobes or something. His gaze finally softened and he said, "It's okay, Berry. I wanted it to come out. Quinn is the one that didn't. I'm glad...Now I can at least be involved should Quinn decide she wants anything to do with me."

"Noah," she said, putting her hand on his forearm. "I am sorry."

"You didn't knock her up, Berry. That was all me...." There was a twinge of both sarcasm and sadness in his statement.

The looked at each other for a moment until finally she realizes she should probably go. "I...I guess I'll go now."

He put a hand out and caught her arm. "You can stay if you want...you know, hang out?"

She smiled, almost shocked at the offer. He showed her where to put her purse and then led her into the living room where they flopped down on the couch. Thumbing the remote, he turned the TV on and said, "you're choice" before tossing the remote at her.

She somehow managed to find the one musical playing on all 200 channels and he is luck enough to spend the next two hours suffering through _Fiddler on the Roof._ If he hadn't been so damn lonely lately, he would never allowed this to have happened. But since Finn wasn't speaking to him and Quinn had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that she wanted nothing to do with him, he was kind of alone. The Gleeks were cordial to him but he couldn't help but feel like everyone looked at him like he was the worst person on the planet. Which he supposed is okay because he felt like he was. But still, abandonment hurts. But then Berry showed up, offering a sugar-coated olive branch, and he took it. And now he's watching _Fiddler on the Roof. _And it's really not that bad.

When the movie goes off, he heard the unmistakable growl of a hungry stomach. Asking her what she likes on her pizza, he is surprised when her favorite toppings are the same as his: ham and pineapple. Ordering the pizza and breadsticks, they waited for the delivery guy.

In the gap between the movie and food, she asked, "Where is your mom and sister?"

"Visiting my aunt. I wasn't in the mood to go this weekend."

"I don't blame you. I avoid my Aunt Margorie as much as I can. She smells like cat pee."

His eye caught hers and they both laughed. It felt good to laugh, considering he hadn't had much to laugh about in the last few weeks.

They made small talk about TV shows and even current events while they wait on the food. The fact that they didn't have much in common outside Glee was painfully obvious to both of them. But she smiled a lot and the smile made him feel better.

When the pizza guy finally arrived, Puck paid him and tossed the boxes on the table in front of Rachel. They both dug in. She surprised him when she shoveled in three pieces and two breadsticks.

"Berry, I took you for a lightweight!"

"Daddy never lets us have pizza. It doesn't provide proper nutrition and is overloaded with fat...but I adore it. So thank you, Noah!"

He grinned at her. "No prob."

They sat in silence, partially because they had run out of topics and partially because the pizza was just _that_ good. Once they were done, Rachel said that she had to leave. A little bummed, he walked her to the door. Turning to him, she said, "Thanks for the movie and pizza, Noah. I had a good time."

"Me too, Berry."

As she left, she knew nothing would really be outwardly different between the two of them on Monday. He would still ignore her just as she ignored him. But at least the tension would be less, she hoped. So no one is more surprised than she is when he walked up up to her locker on Tuesday and asked her if she wanted to hang out again on Saturday. His sister's birthday party is that day and he'd feel less like killing himself if he had a friend around is his reasoning. Rachel didn't know what shocked her more – the fact that he invited her over or that he called her a friend. Either way, on that Tuesday, it was established that Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry were friends.

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Coming up next: Friendship develops further. And the title of the story should give you a hint at the direction in which I'm heading.


	2. Birthday Party

**Author's note: So I re-watched "Wheels" tonight… The food fight between Puck and Quinn is awesome. At the end of the scene, a Puck covered in baking ingredients is SOOO hot. Holy crap……… Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and alerts! I'm excited for this story. And to answer a few of the questions – there will be all kinds of unrequited love in this, hopefully from a lot of different angles but focusing on our two favorite star-crossed lovers, of course. I managed to fix dinner, vacuum, and put away laundry tonight – plus type out this chapter! I am superwoman! (It helps that I got off work early today, too.)**

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Saturday morning, Rachel pulled up to Noah's house and parked. She knew she was going to a party but hadn't expected to see bouncies being blown up and a pony being offloaded from a trailer. Getting out of the car, she snaked her way through the party decorating and was about to knock on the door when it popped open. Puck appeared in the doorway, looking a bit startled at Rachel's appearance.

"Oh, hey Berry…didn't think you'd be here yet," he stepped outside, his hands full of unfilled balloons. Rachel grabbed them from him.

"I thought I'd come by to early to see if you need help," she looked around, "but it looks like you have it under control."

Puck motioned for her to follow him. "I could use help blowing up these balloons. Mom is at work until about an hour before the party starts. So this set up is all mine to do. The squirt is at her friend's house. They're going to bring her over at the start of the party, so at least she's not in our hair."

Motioning toward the helium tank, Puck started to walk away.

"Noah, wait…"

"What?" he said, turning around.

"I have no idea how to use one of these contraptions." Rachel looked worried.

He walked back over to her. "It's easy…just watch me."

His muscular arms stretched and flexed as he filled up a few balloons and tied them to the tree next to the tank. "Think you got it?"

Rachel nodded.

"I'll be back in a bit. Holler if you need something. He walked off toward the refreshment table, leaving Rachel to her own devices with the helium tank that was almost the same size as her. She slowly got into the groove of blowing the balloons up and was having fun…except for the five balloons she lost hold of. Those floated away. She looked around, hoping no one, especially Noah, noticed. He was chatting on his cell phone and didn't seem to see the red balloon float past his truck on its journey toward the sky. _Good._ Rachel hoped to look proficient…it was a sign of reliability.

She soon became in her own thoughts and started singing. She was halfway through "Popular" from _Wicked _when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with a six-foot, white-faced, red-lipped, red-nosed, orange-cheeked clown with rainbow-colored hair. Letting out an "eeeeeep!" she took off running. Helium balloons went everywhere.

Seeing the commotion, Puck muttered, "I'll call you back," and clicked off his phone. Rachel grabbed his bicep and used it to vault herself behind him. Peering out from under his arm, she glared at the clown.

Puck looked back over his shoulder at her. "Berry, what the hell?"

Sheepishly she said, "Sorry…. I kind of have a clown phobia…"

"Really? No shit. The 28 balloons heading for China kinda clued me in on that." As he finished speaking, the clown began to come toward them. Rachel let out a scream that went straight into Puck's ear, since she had now managed to rope her arms around his neck and was hiding her head behind his Mohawk. She felt his body began to shake with laughter.

"It's not funny," she whispered in his ear, eyeing the clown suspiciously as it moved ever closer to them.

In between his laughter, he managed to say, "The hell it's not!" Finally, he unclasped her arms from around his neck and grabbed her, pulling her out from behind him. Just then, the clown approached. Walking up to Rachel, who now had her eyes clenched shut in a vain attempt to ward off the approaching evil since her human shield had removed itself, the clown pulled out it's horn and honked it in her ear. She screeched and took off running. Puck was now doubled-over, unable to breathe from laughing. Wiping tears from his eyes, he stood back up, shook the clown's oversized gloved hand, and then showed the clown where to set up. Looking around the yard, he spotted chestnut hair peeking out from behind the pony, trying to blend in with the scenery. _This is going to be a great day_, he thought as he made his way over to his new friend, whom he had discovered was a big chicken.

It took Puck five minutes to assure Rachel that the clown was there to entertain the children, not kidnap her and use her to make soup. Once he finally pulled her from behind the pony, he led her back to the balloons.

"You…balloons. Now! And don't lose anymore. Those things cost money!"

He stalked away, a smile on his lips.

Rachel began blowing up the balloons again, albeit nervously. With one eye on her task and one eye on the child molester/kidnapper/rapist/murder/cannibal dressed as a clown, she got busy again.

She finally relaxed as the start of the party drew closer. A car pulled into the driveway and a woman who had to be Noah's mother hopped out. Puck ran over to her, gave her a hug, and began talking to her. Then he led her over to Rachel.

"Ma, this is my friend Rachel. She is here to help today."

His mother, who had a very kind face, said, "So nice to meet you Rachel…. Aren't you Jewish?"

"Maaaaa," groaned Puck.

Rachel just smiled and shook Noah's mother's hand. "Yes, I am, Mrs. Puckerman."

"That's wonderful. And you can call me Dinah." Turning to Puck, she said, "Noah-bear, I'm going to go change clothes and then I'll be out to help. Guests will start arriving soon."

As she walked away, Rachel met Puck's eyes and said, "Noah-bear? Really?" She began to giggle. Walking up to her, his body exceptionally close, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Call me that again and I'll lock you in the closet with your clown friend over there." Rachel's face went pale as he walked off with a smirk.

Children began arriving just as they finished setting up. Noah's sister, Leah, hopped out of the car and started running all over the yard, overwhelmed by her party spread. Spotting her big brother, she vaulted herself in his arms. He picked her up and spun her around, telling her "Happy Birthday" as she squealed. He sat her back down and she ran toward the clown table, determined to get a cool hat made out of balloons before all the other kids got there.

By 1pm, the party was in full swing and there were several dozen children between the ages of 7-9 running all over the Puckerman yard. Rachel stood at the refreshment table, keeping the High-C Fruit Punch cups full. Despite the fact that she had been put to work, she was having a blast. As she watched the party before her, Dinah walked up to her. She put her hand on Rachel's shoulder and squeezed.

"It's so nice for you to help out. Noah doesn't ever bring girlfriends over."

Rachel jerked her head to look over at the older woman. "I'm not…I mean we're not… We're just friends. We're in Glee club together."

Dinah nodded. "That's okay. We still never meet too many of his female friends. We definitely know he has them but he kind of keeps them away. You must be special."

Rachel smiled uncomfortably. "Nope, I just want to be a good friend to Noah. He's…had it rough lately."

Dinah sighed, indicating she was well aware of what her teenaged son was going through. "I know, dear…. thank you for helping him. He needs a good friend."

Just then, one of the mothers called for Dinah so she stepped away, sending Rachel a final smile before she walked off.

She was alone for a few more minutes and then felt someone behind her. Overcome with fear that it was that stupid dastardly clown, who had seemingly disappeared, she slowly turned around. Luckily, it was just Noah. "Everything going okay over here?"

"Absolutely. Fruit punch is always popular, you know."

He nodded, moving to stand next to her. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand and said, "Come with me."

He started to pull away but she sputtered, "Noah, the punch."

"It will be fine for a few minutes. C'mon."

With resignation, she followed him to the inflatable bouncy shaped like a castle that was presently empty of children. He kicked off his shoes and hopped in. Turning, he noticed she was still outside, staring at him.

"You coming?"

She sighed, kicked off her own shoes, and crawled in. Scooting over to a corner, she watched him do a back flip and then hop over to her.

"You gonna jump or just stare at my hot ass as I jump?"

She blushed and then glared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing a skirt."

"So hold it down. C'mon Berry, this is fun!" Jumping up, he yelled down at her. "Relax! Live a little!"

"Fine…but if you look up my skirt, I'm kicking you."

"I hadn't thought about it but now that you mention it, I just might."

He hopped over to her and grabbed her arms, pulling her up. Before she could stop him, he catapulted them both high toward the roof of the castle. She screamed with laughter as they landed on their behinds.

Before she knew it, they were both jumping as high and as hard as they could. A few times, Rachel even forgot to hold down her skirt.

Both of their faces flushed, they finally climbed out of the bouncy after receiving death glares from a group of 8-year-old boys.

"All yours, kids," Puck said as he slipped his shoes back on.

Rachel returned to her spot at the refreshment table but was sad to see the party winding down. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. None of her birthday parties had ever been that entertaining.

Once the kids were gone, clean up began. With Dinah, Noah, Rachel, and Leah working, it didn't take long. Finally, there was nothing left to do. As Rachel looked around to make sure nothing else needed to be done, she spied Mr. Creepy Clown across the yard. He was bending down, speaking to Leah, who was smiling at Rachel. The clown handed Leah a flower made from balloons and then walked toward the car. Leah walked over to Rachel and handed the flower to her.

"This is from the clown."

Rachel looked at the balloon suspiciously. Finally, she took it. "Uh, thanks."

Leah walked off and as soon as she was gone, Rachel dropped the flower on the nearest table. She then went to say her goodbyes to Dinah, who hugged her and thanked her again for her help.

Puck walked Rachel to her car. Pulling her into a hug, which surprised Rachel, he said, "You were awesome today, Rach. I really appreciate it."

She smiled up at him, meeting his hazel eyes with her brown ones. "I had a great time, Noah. I really did."

"Cool…. well, I'll see you on Monday."

He walked away and she started to get in her car. Just then, he shouted, "Oh Rachel! You forgot your flower!"

Turning back toward him, she yelled. "You can keep that stupid balloon flower, Noah."

"Why?"

"Because it probably has a tracking device in it or something. I'm not taking chances."

Puck laughed loudly. "Berry, you really are crazy."

Rachel smiled, hopped into her Fit, and pulled away from the curb, thinking that it had been one successful day.

Once Rachel was back home, she changed into shorts and a sweatshirt and sat down at her desk. Pulling her journal out from its secret location underneath her stack of souvenir Playbills, she opened it up to the first blank page and began to write:

_I had the best time with Noah today. He's so different outside of school than he is when he's there. He's respectful, funny, charming…and have course, devilishly handsome. I really think we're on our way to becoming real friends. I hope we can put the past behind us. We're both more mature now. And he needs a friend. To be honest, so do I…._


	3. Moments

**Author's Note: So this chapter is a bit different. It takes us through P&R's growing friendship/relationship by peeking into Rachel's journal. **

**And I had an idea – don't you all think that the Glee club TOTALLY needs to perform "Footloose" in one of the back 9 episodes? How absolutely AWESOME would that be????**

**On to Rachel's journal……**

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Tuesday, September 16**_

_So the party last Saturday at Noah's was fun but today? Today I went underwear shopping with Noah Puckerman!!! It's absolutely crazy, I know! I think I must have been possessed by aliens or something to have taken him into Victoria's Secret with me. But after Glee practice today, he wanted to do something together (he looked exceptionally bored.) I told him I was going to the mall anyway so he said he'd go. Even though I was mortified about where I was planning on going, he was relaxed about it. It was surprisingly fun – and he didn't even make any of his normal wretched, perverted comments! (Except for when I picked out the lacy pink bra that I ended up buying and he leered and commented that I would look "smokin'" in it.) Why have I never really noticed how utterly adorable he is before now? I have always known he was attractive (even a blind woman would see that) but I never noticed the way his eyes wrinkle when he smiles. And when he gives me that grin with one eyebrow cocked? Dear me.... (I'm fanning myself.) Oh! I think I'm beginning to see why he's the Lothario of McKinley High School. As we left the store, he told me that the fact that I shopped at Victoria's Secret made me even hotter – which means he already thought I was hot! *sigh* I remember when I dreamed of hearing Finn say those words. Now I just wish Finn and Noah would speak...and Quinn would stop looking so utterly heartbroken. All thanks to my inability to keep secrets that don't even concern me..... Anyway, I would say we are officially friends now. It feels fabulous to write those words._

_**Friday, September 19**_

_Noah, well, Noah's mother actually, invited me to dinner tonight. I dropped him off at home after school and she invited me to stay. It was a lovely dinner. I really adore Dinah. She's such a wonderful mother. She really loves Noah and Leah – her devotion is so obvious. Through the entire dinner, Dinah regaled me with stories about Noah when he was a child (Like when he was three-years-old and he took his pants off in the middle of the grocery store because his "pee-pee was itchy." I laughed so hard that I started to choke. Noah, however, sat there like an unmoving stone. I don't think he was nearly as amused.) They are such a fun family to be around. When he walked me to my car tonight, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. In great Hollywood love stories, they always portray those gentle touches as being like fireworks through the flesh. This…this was more like electricity. I don't know why I'm even thinking that really. Stupid, I know..._

_**Monday, September 21**_

_I had an eventful weekend. I was far too preoccupied to bother to journal, which is why I'm catching up now. Saturday night, Noah came over and forced me to watch one of "his" movies since I made him watch "Fiddler on the Roof." We ended up watching "Die Hard." I really thought I was going to poke my eyes out. I simply do not understand gratuitous violence. It must be a boy thing because Noah was completely enthralled. But he put his arm around me in the middle of the movie and pulled me close. I don't remember much of the movie after that. I think I may be developing a bit of crush on him. It's nothing major, of course. Actually, it is probably just a hormonal reaction to these newfound feelings of friendship. I've never had a friendship like this with a boy. Finn and I are (were?) friends, of course, but it was guarded and uncomfortable because of Quinn. Noah is so…. open and free. So yeah – that's probably it. It's friendship excitement, not a crush._

_**Thursday, September 24**_

_Dinner with the Puckermans again tonight. He kissed me on the cheek before I left. It was just a friendly kiss, of course. I would hate to read too much into it._

_**Friday, October 2**_

_We went to the putt-putt golf course tonight. I was shocked that he was going to be seen in public with me but he said, and I quote, "So what, Berry? You're hot, I'm hot…who cares?" I think he let me win, too. He did get mad, though, and threw his golf club when I won so maybe he really is bad at it? Afterwards, we drove over to the park and sat in his car, singing along with music at the top of our lungs. I know it wasn't a date but if felt like one. __I really think I'm beginning to have feelings for him._

_**Tuesday, October 6**_

_Noah started eating lunch with me yesterday. He had been sitting out in his truck since the whole "Babygate" thing broke but I think he decided it was time to rejoin the regular McKinley population. A few Cheerios glared at him when he sat down but he just smiled at them and calmly ate his lunch. I, on the other hand, was an exceptionally nervous wreck about the entire matter. And even as I sit here and write this, I don't know why I had that reaction. I think it's because he's….him._

_**Sunday, October 11**_

_I spent most of Saturday at the Puckermans. My dads are out of town and Dinah didn't want me to spend the day alone. She called me up early (I assume Noah told her I was alone) and had me come over for breakfast. I don't think Noah knew that I was coming because he came downstairs for breakfast in a pair of shorts and NOTHING ELSE. Can I just say that it is impossible to eat breakfast like a normal human being when the spectacular pectoral muscles, complete with nipple ring, belonging to the incredibly sexy Noah Puckerman are three feet away? I have to say: If I weren't such a moral girl, I would have thrown myself at him. It isn't right for any one boy to be that perfectly formed. If anyone ever doubted the existence of a higher power, all they need to do is take a look at HIM shirtless. That should dispel any doubts. Does that sound lusty? Yes, it does….but I can't help it. My brain turned to oatmeal, actually, because I don't think he was wearing any underwear! Okay, Rachel, compose yourself…. _

_All right, I'm much better now. After breakfast, and after Noah had blessedly decided to put on some more clothing, Leah got invited over to one of her friends' houses. Noah took her over there and while they were gone, I got to actually have an extended conversation with Dinah. It was wonderful, except for the part where she kept hinting around that I had a crush on her son. Now, up until this point, I thought that I had been doing an excellent job at concealing my burgeoning interested in Noah. Apparently, Noah was right when he said his mother could figure anything out because she saw right through my assurances that we were merely engaged in a platonic relationship built on a foundation of friendship and respect. She told me to "stick with it. He'll come around." As much as I hate to admit it, I hope she's correct. Today was a day when I wished – really wished – that I had a mother, too._

_**Wednesday, October 14**_

_I slept with Noah today. Okay, I didn't have SEX with Noah. But we actually fell asleep on my bed after school. We were laying on top the blankets and I was trying to explain the chemistry homework to him. Instead, we fell asleep because even the best student struggles to stay awake enough to pay attention to chemistry. When I woke up, his arm was wrapped around my waist and he had scooted in close to me. I probably should have moved when I realized it but I didn't. I stayed right where I was. When he woke up and discovered that he was virtually cuddling me, he jerked his arm away and apologized. I told him it was okay because it was, of course. I'm finding it harder and harder to hide my feelings when he's around. I didn't feel even a tenth of what I feel for him now when we were dating. Well, that's not entirely true. The way I felt when he was singing "Sweet Caroline" to me? That's how I feel __all__ of the time when I'm around him now. _

_**Tuesday, October 20**_

_In what can only be considered as a vulnerable, unguarded moment, Noah told me today that I was an amazing friend. He then pushed my hair from my eyes and kissed me on the forehead. I wanted to cry when he didn't go any farther. The most torturous part of all of it is that I know exactly how he kisses. I can still feel his lips on mine from the one time we made out during our farce of a "relationship" previously. Those memories only serve to taunt me now when I actually want him and only him. How do I make him interested in me – like REALLY interested in me? I can't employ any of the tactics I used when I was trying to woo sweet, dimwitted Finn because Noah is far too worldly and experienced to fall for any of those things. But how do I make him realize that there is more to me than just his "buddy"?_

_**Saturday, October 24**_

_I haven't heard from Noah today. He begrudgingly said that they were visiting his great-aunt at the nursing home. _

_Wait…. text message!_

_I'm back…. That was Noah. He said, "You free tonight, babe? Let's do something. I missed you today."_

_He called me babe and said he missed me…. I think I just may love him…._

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I got my "Road to Sectionals" DVD today at lunch – Now I can watch "Mash-Up" 6,000 times to get my Puckleberry fill (especially the scene in the bathroom when she's rinsing the Slushie out of his hair. **SWOON**) I watched the Pilot episode again tonight. I forgot what a bunch of losers they really were in the first episode! And Puck was HORRIBLE. Completely unlikeable. I'm glad they've softened him up a bit….**

**Please read and review, peeps. Thanks! Love all my Puckleberry sisters out there!**


	4. Shattered

**Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews. I noticed that quite of few of you are nervous about the whole "Unrequited" thing. Just remember, based on my other stories, that I am a sucker for P&R love. So just stay with me, okay? I promise to try and make it worth your while!**

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Puck closed the door to his truck with a loud thud. Quinn was such a bitch. He wished he could blame it on the pregnancy hormones because then he felt at least a little bit of sympathy. Unfortunately, that excused failed to explain her horrible attitude for the first 16 years of her life prior to his super-sperm impregnating her. With left him with only one conclusion: She was simply a raging bitch. He couldn't believe he had, at one time, actually wanted to be with her. Like in a real relationship. Puck snorted. Finn may have been a sucker for her whole blond cheerleader thing but Puck was a different kind of guy. The kind that didn't put up with shit, even it was from his baby-mama.

Stepping up onto the Berry porch, he rapped on the door. One of Rachel's dads (the tall one), pulled the door open and ushered him in. "She's in her room. She said she was working on homework but she has been singing so loudly for the last hour that I think she must be making another video....Go on up."

Puck smirked. Of course she was making a video. This _was_ Rachel they were talking about, after all. Reaching the top of the stairs, he pushed the door open without knocking and instantly realized his mistake. Rachel was standing in front of the mirror in a pair of boyshort panties and a belly shirt. Puck's eyes met Rachel's through the mirror before she screamed and rushed into her closet. But not before Puck had gotten a look at her goods. _Damn_. He had no idea that such a tight little package was underneath the layers and layers of granny clothes she wore. He wouldn't mind seeing that...._wait a minute, this is RACHEL! _Realizing that he was just being a dude attracted to exposed skin, any skin in fact, he sat down on her bed and waited.

"What are you doing here so late on a Tuesday?" Rachel asked from inside the closet. Her heart was pounding so loudly in hear ears that she could barely hear what he was saying. She was mortified, horrified even, that he had seen her n such a state of undress. Especially because she had been thinking about him when he had magically shown up – almost like she conjured him up with her psychic abilities. The idea of standing in front him , staring into his eyes, dressed only in her barely-there clothing caused heat to rush into Rachel's lower body. She pushed it away, realizing that now, as she stood hiding in her closet, was not the time to get hormonal.

"I needed to talk..... Uh, you staying in there?" He annoyingly glared at the closed door.

Rachel pushed it open, now firmly wrapped in what was probably the ugliest, least sexy robe he had ever seen. It looked like it had been made out of carpet rescued from a 1970s trailer.

"Damn, Berry. That is one ugly robe! If you were trying to make me forget about your hot little ass, you succeeded." He leered at her. Rachel blushed deeply, feeling the heat of embarrassment all the way to her toes. At the same time, his comment filled her with giddy anticipation.

Puck, completely unaware of the emotional turmoil going on inside his female friend's head, kicked his sneakers off and then commenced arranging Rachel's approximately 57 pillows on the bed so that he could get comfortable. Once it was the way he usually liked it, he stretched out and stared up at the whispy white canopy. Ensuring the knot on her robe was secure, Rachel climbed on the other side of the bed and laid her body in a similar position. They often had these "top of the blanket" talks. Those talks were some of her most cherished times with him.

They were quiet for a few minutes, both lost in thought. Finally, he said, "So Quinn and I got into another huge fight tonight."

"What was this one about?"

"I wish I knew. Other than her being a total bitch, I still don't know what I did wrong. I tried to give her some money and she snarled some shit about me being a worthless asshole that didn't deserve to have a child with her. So I took my money, and my happy ass, and got up out of there." He thought for a few minutes. "I don't get her. She acts like she is this tragic, forlorn figure and then she won't let me help. I don't give a rat's ass about her but until that baby is born and leaves with her new parents, she is partially my responsibility."

Rachel rolled toward him, tucking one arm under her cheek. Thinking to form her words correctly, she began, "I don't particularly think she intends to be wretched. I think she is just a lost little girl who happens to be facing a very adult situation. And think about it...her whole world was turned upside down when she got pregnant. Cheerios, Finn, her family – that is all gone. If she didn't have a kind soul in Brittany, who took her in once Finn tossed her out, I'm not sure where she would be. It is just easier for her to blame you than face her own demons."

Puck turned to face Rachel. Reaching out, he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You're right, as usual. I swear, I don't know what I would do without your crazy ass." As he grinned broadly at her, Rachel was sure he was going to finally kiss her. But instead, he rolled back flat again and resumed gazing at the canopy.

"And...I need to talk to you about something else, too."

"I'm all ears, Noah."

"And ugly robe," he added with a laugh. She reached across the bed and punched him in the shoulder.

"You still hit like a girl," he prodded. She stuck her tongue out at him as a reply.

Puck shifted on the bed slightly, like he was trying to get comfortable. "So....you....you know how I've been laying low for a few months since the whole knocking up my best friend's girl thing came out? You know, not dating or anything?"

"Yes," Rachel replied hesitantly, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Well...I kind of like this girl and I think I want to start dating again."

Rachel's heart swelled. _Finally!_ She had been dreaming of this very conversation for weeks. She tried to remain calm and didn't want to appear overly-excited. She wanted to hear him talk. To hear him actually say the words that she had already heard in her own head over and over again.

Casually, well, as casually as Rachel Berry could muster, she said, "Oh, really? That's great. Who is she?"

_Duh! Me!_

"....well, I don't really know much about her. She's in my chemistry class. Since you started tutoring me, I've actually started going to class. She was my lab partner all of last week and she's really...cool. Her name is Stacey Anderson. She's actually an athlete, too. Captain of the Girls Swim Team. "

As he spoke, relaxing with his arms folded behind his head with ankles crossed, he was still focused on the canopy and failed to notice his friend go completely pale. Rachel, meanwhile, felt like she was going to be sick. She turned to roll away from Puck, facing the yellow wall.

She could tell Noah was waiting on a reply from her. Pushing back tears, she asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"Well, I'm thinking about asking her out this Friday night. Do...do you think she'll go? I mean, back in the old days I KNOW she'd go because I was a huge stud. Thanks to my talented sperm, my stock has plummeted. She could very well say no thanks to my reputation. But I really, really like her so I think I need to take the chance."

Rachel felt the first hot tears leak from her eyes and make their way down her cheeks. She discreetly wiped them away, not wanting to draw any attention to the fact that, at that very moment, her heart was dissolving into a thousand little grains of sand. She took a breath, composing herself enough to say, "I think she'll say yes, Noah. Anyone who gets to know you falls in love with you. It....it will be fine." He failed to notice the truth that was spoken in the supportive words she had just spoken.

Rolling again, he noticed Rachel facing away from him. He scooted over, hugged her, and whispered in her ear, "Thanks, Rach. I knew you would know what to say to calm my nerves."

She scrunched her eyes closed against his touch, trying to block out the searing pain that his nearness caused within her chest. She nodded at him and he said, "I can see that you're tired so I'm going to head out. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

Slipping off the bed, he put his shoes back on. Turning toward her very still body, he said, "Goodnight, Rach."

"Goodnight, Noah."

He silently closed the door and ambled down the steps, excited about what tomorrow would bring and utterly unaware of the shattered heart that he was leaving in his wake.

**

* * *

Coming up: Is Noah embarking on a new relationship? And what will happen to Rachel now? I think this story is going to be quite a few chapters. We have a long way to go yet together, people!**


	5. A Long Week

**Author's Note: WOW! The amount of reviews from the last chapter was pretty amazing. It seems that unrequited love touches a nerve. Believe me, I've been where Rachel is. Sure, my guy was nowhere NEAR as hot as Puck (considering that if you threw water on Puck, it would probably instantly evaporate) but I can still remember the pain. I am definitely taking some of your suggestions into consideration as this story continues. Keep 'em coming! **

* * *

"Driven, pragmatic, talented, and intelligent" were words that Rachel Berry often used to accurately describe her personality. However, the Wednesday morning following Puck's confession that he liked Stacey Anderson and intended to ask her out, Rachel could only describe herself with two words: "pathetic" and "weepy." As she stood in front of her mirror dabbing Preparation H on the bags under her eyes to help reduce the swelling, she once again fought off tears.

_You're such an idiot, Rachel. _She repeatedly admonished herself, over and over again. _You should have known that he wasn't interested in you. He's NOAH PUCKERMAN! If he wanted you, your panties would have been around your ankles over a month ago. _The idea of facing him when she got to school was daunting. They saw each other in the halls, plus at lunch and in Glee. How in the world was she going to pretend everything was normal and that she was just his good friend when he had stomped on her heart without his even realizing it?

As the thoughts ran through Rachel's head, the tears began to collect again. Closing her eyes, forcing herself to stand ramrod straight, she told herself that she was a talented actress. She could act like everything was fine. She didn't need any further pain…and if Noah found out that she was in love with him, he would probably laugh until he popped a vein. Either that, or he'd start slushying her again. Neither option was appealing. She had to appear strong. She could do this!

To ensure that she could avoid Noah for as long as possible, she arrived at school only two minutes before the warning bell. The very act of nearly being late was enough to put her on edge, normally. Today, though, she was relieved for tardiness. Throwing herself in her seat in first period, she barely missed the bell. Halfway through first period, she realized that she should have just stayed home. Her notebook was completely blank, despite the fact that the board in front of her was full of lecture notes. She simply couldn't focus.

Usually, Rachel didn't see Noah in the halls before 4th period so she was relieved that so far, she hadn't had to meet those hazel eyes and smile. As she made her way through the morning, she began to feel better. She knew she would have to deal with the heartbreak when she saw him but as of right now, she was okay....

....Until she made the mistake of having to pee. Between 3rd and 4th periods, she found herself in the girls' restroom. She was in the stall when she heard it.

"Did you hear? Stacey Anderson is going out with Noah Puckerman on Friday. NOAH PUCKERMAN!"

Rachel's heart constricted and she clenched her eyes closed inside the darken stall.

"What the hell is she thinking? He is such a whore! Knocking up Quinn when she was dating Finn."

"Whatever! He didn't just magically put his dick in her without her participating. She's the real whore in this. Besides, you're just jealous! God...I would die if Puck asked me out. Just die....."

"He is absolutely gorgeous."

"Yeah, I slept with him last year. I would have loved to again but the asshole never called me back. He's a jerk."

"But he's delicious….I wish I had a pool he could clean."

Their voices faded as they left the bathroom, leaving Rachel all alone in her stall. The moment their voices were gone, she let out a loud sob before clutching her shirt to her mouth to stifle the noise. So he had actually done it...he had asked her out. And she said yes. And they were going out on Friday.

Rachel sucked in a breath in a vain attempt to compose herself. She dabbed her eyes with toilet paper, ran her hands through her hair, and opened the stall door.

She could do this....

And then it was lunchtime and Noah was suddenly slapping his tray down on the table next to Rachel's sack lunch.

"Sup, Rach?" he said casually, chomping on his gum.

She looked up at him and her eyes filled with tears again. Looking away, she said, "Hi, Noah."

Puck flopped down in the chair next to her and began digging into his taco salad. After he had downed about half of it, he said, "...so I asked her out."

"I know, I heard," Rachel said, her voice sounding sadder than she intended. He didn't notice.

He raised an eyebrow. "How'd you hear?"

"Girls bathroom. A few of the girls thought Stacey was nuts but most of them were jealous."

Puck grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Shit yeah they're jealous. I do have guns of Puckerone going for me, you know?" He flexed his muscles for added affect. Even though her heart was breaking, she couldn't help but giggle. His arrogant obsession with his own appearance, as well as his use of the self-imposed nickname to describe his biceps, never failed to make her laugh. God, how she loved him....

Rachel looked down at her food but couldn't stomach eating any of it. She wished that at that moment, she was anywhere but where she was. Instead, she just sat there stoically as Puck finished off his lunch and then started in on Rachel's untouched lunch. If he even noticed that she was acting strange, he didn't mention it.

With a "see ya later, Berry," he sauntered off with more swag in his step than she had seen in a while. The friend in her was so glad to see him have more confidence. The girl who loved him just wished he didn't have to break her heart in order to reach his former level of self-assurance.

* * *

By Thursday afternoon, the gossip regarding the impending Anderson/Puckerman date had abated, due in part to the latest scandal involving a hockey player and a rumored "inflatable girlfriend." This asinine gossip afforded Rachel a respite from the heartbreak. Halfway through the middle of Glee practice, Rachel felt more normal than she had since Tuesday night. When she sang with the group, her misery seemed to temporarily dissolve. She knew, absolutely knew, that she could get through this.

And then for the 100th time that week, Puck crushed her heart again after class. As the two of them were walking to his truck, he asked the most offensive, despicable question Rachel had ever heard: "Do you think you could watch Leah for a little bit tomorrow night? I have to leave to pick Stacey up at 7 but Mom doesn't get off work until 10."

Rachel wanted to slap him. The urge to just reach up, haul off, and punch him between his smug, seductive eyes was brimming just under the surface. However, ever the composed girl, she said, "Well...I...uh....busy....."

He grabbed her arm at the elbow and held it tightly within his grip. "C'mon Rach." Putting on the puppy dog eyes, he added, "please?"

_Dammit._

* * *

As Friday afternoon rolled around, Rachel was toying with the possibility of asking her fathers if she could transfer to an all-girls school a few hundred miles away. There, she could guarantee she wouldn't fall in love. And putting a few hundred miles between herself and Noah could help her get over this misery in her heart. As she prepared to head over to the Puckerman house to be a doormat to the boy who didn't love her, she didn't even bother to check her appearance in the mirror. He had never noticed before so she knew it was pointless to start now. Even the level of bitterness within her own soul struck her for a moment. She had always been so optimistic. _Stupid, stupid love._ Love made her do moronic things – the biggest of which was babysitting so he could go on a date. For the first time in a long time, Rachel wasn't 100% in love with her own self. And she hated it.

Rachel knew Noah was leaving for his date (she scowled every time the very word entered her head) at 7pm. In what had become Rachel's style the latter half of the week, she arrived at 6:58. She knocked on the door and Leah opened it, hugging her as she let her in. Rachel sat her purse down on the countertop, dropped her backpack (homework would take her mind off him), and started to remove her shoes. As she did, she heard him coming down the stairs. Her heart started to pound and she was instantly annoyed at herself for her own body's betrayal.

"Hey, Rach. Thanks for doing this," he said has he popped a kiss on the top of her head as he walked by. She almost started sobbing right then. Turning toward him, she wished she had the ability to melt into the floor. He was wearing a green polo shirt that only served to make his eyes more intense. His jeans were obviously new and he was wearing cowboy boots. _Wait…cowboy boots_? She looked curiously at him and he looked down at his boots sheepishly.

"What? I love these babies. They are totally kickass. I only wear them on special occasions."

Remembering that the date with Stacey was a special occasion, Rachel glowered after him. Why was she a glutton for punishment?

He slipped a black jacket on over his shirt, told his sister not to call him or he'd kill her, and then turned to Rachel again.

"Thanks, again, Rach. You don't know how much this means to me."

_And you don't know how much this is killing me._

Rachel just nodded and watched him walk out the door, her heart heavier than she could ever remember.

* * *

Across town at the diner where he'd taken Stacey for dinner, Puck was having a great time. Stacey was surprisingly interesting and funny. They even talked about the whole Quinn thing and he explained the entire situation. Stacey, who as it turned out, completely hated Quinn Fabray, was very supportive of Puck's explanation of the entire story. She even through a "s_erves her right, the cheating whore"_ in for good measure, which made Puck cock and eyebrow and grin a lopsided grin at her. Puck noticed that every time he mentioned Rachel's name, which was frequently, Stacey would make a face but he ignored it. Most of the time, however, they just flirted mercilessly. He felt like a total stud. He hadn't dated in a while but he knew, without a doubt, that if he wanted to tap this, he could. That was great for his bruised ego.

At the movies, Puck flung an arm over her shoulders. Stacey smiled and leaned into his grasp. Later, when she intertwined her fingers with his, he didn't pull away.

Back at the Puckerman home, Rachel felt the final crack of a little piece of her heart at that moment, undeniably aware even without having seen or heard a thing, that everything just permanently changed between she and Noah.

* * *

Dinah walked into the house a few minutes after 10. She saw Leah asleep under a blanket on the couch and noticed Rachel huddled on the other end, her arms forming a pillow for her head on the headrest. She stared at the teenaged girl for a moment, wondering how she handled herself tonight.

Dinah went to put her purse down and take off her shoes. Her heart ached for the wonderful girl in the other room. It was fairly obvious to her that Rachel was completely in love with her son. And she hated that her son was so oblivious to that fact because Rachel was an absolute doll. Sure, she talked a lot and was a bit demanding, but she had a giving heart. That was never more evident then tonight, when she was here babysitting Noah's sister so that he could take another girl – not her – out on a date. _The poor dear._

Rachel stirred as Dinah ran a hand over her hair. She opened her eyes and found them focusing on the kind eyes of Noah's mother. Sitting up, she stretched and then moved silently out of the room as to not wake Leah.

In the kitchen, Dinah handed Rachel a glass of iced tea. Rachel drank it, not knowing what to say. Dinah could see that Rachel's eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. Her son was such a moron sometimes.

"Rachel, you can go home now," she said, handing Rachel money for the babysitting.

Rachel took it and slid it in her pocket. "Thanks, Dinah. I think I would rather be gone before he…." Her words dropped off but Dinah understood completely.

Walking around to her, Dinah put her arms around Rachel's shoulders and squeezed. "You're a good friend to do this for him when your own heart is breaking. I'm sorry my son doesn't see you for what you are." She kissed Rachel's forehead and Rachel let tears fall in front of an adult for the first time since this entire disaster first appeared on the scene of her relatively happy life.

Wordlessly, Rachel wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. Hugging Dinah, she grabbed her things and left quickly, wanting to put as much distance between the Puckerman house and herself before Noah got home.

At 11:30, as Rachel stared into the darkness of her room, her phone beeped with a message.

_Thx 4 ur help tonite with Leah. You rock._

Rachel read the text and then rolled over to lay her phone back down. She wasn't going to reply tonight. Let him think she was already asleep, if he even gave her lack of reply a second thought anyway. Cuddling into the blankets, Rachel fell asleep, ignoring the burning liquid on her cheeks.

**

* * *

Happy New Year, everyone! I'll probably post another chapter tomorrow because I have no life and I'll be asleep before the ball even drops in Times Square tonight! My husband and I hate the whole "New Year's" party scene. **


	6. Decisions

**Author's Note: So I lied – I posted this one today too. Consider it a New Year's gift from me to you! I had it mostly done so I decided just to finish it and get it up. Just in time to go celebrate the New Year for a few minutes with my hubby and then collapse into bed. I hope 2010 is a great year for all of you – and a great year for some REAL Puckleberry love courtesy Fox!**

**Keep the reviews coming. I think you all seem to relate to this story!**

* * *

By Monday afternoon, Noah Puckerman and Stacey Anderson were McKinley's new official "it" couple. Dating Stacey, who was captain of the Girls Swim Team, co-captain of the Debate Team, and on Honor Roll, seemed to cause an instant jump in Puck's stock. And Stacey was now the most reviled girl at McKinley for landing the hunky football jock while all the other girls Puck had yet to conquer stood on the sidelines, disgusted and sad. Puck couldn't help but be happy – he was back on top! Babygate may have made him stumble but there was simply no keeping a badass down!

After an abysmal weekend in which Rachel barely heard from Noah, not that she was checking her phone for text messages (she only checked it every hour or so), she forced herself back to school. Over the weekend, Rachel's pain had dissolved into a new emotion: numbness, which she supposed was really an emotion at all but since it was replacing the emotion of pain then yes, numbness really had to be considered an emotion, at least in her unique case. Putting on her "let's get this!" face, she smiled broadly as she walked down the halls. She tried to ignore the emptiness that sometimes seemed to take the place of her once-beating heart, reminding herself that Noah was just a boy - just one singular boy in this huge sea of testosterone that was McKinley High. She could deal with that part of it. But then sitting in class, it would hit her that she was losing her grip on the friendship that had been established. And that would smack her between the eyes, taking her breath away. In her heart, she knew that she would always be Noah's friend if he wanted her to be. She loved him too much to walk away from their friendship. She just hoped that eventually, the romantic feelings that had been building for months would subside so that she could really, simply be just a friend.

And then he didn't show up for lunch that day. She kept eying the door as she made her way through her strawberry yogurt and then her grapes. By the time her apple juice bottle had only a few drops left in it, she realized that he wasn't coming. Sadness rushed into her all over again, like a strong wind rushes across a prairie. Sighing sadly, she collected her trash, dropped it into the bin, and headed to her locker a bit earlier than normal. Turning the corner, she saw them: Noah and Stacey. She was leaning against the locker, her hands tucked primly behind her. He had one arm supporting him as he towered over, his body leaning close into hers. They were talking in low tones, unaware of any activity that surrounded them and certainly unaware of Rachel's presence nearby. She wanted to run away, maybe go hide and cry it out in the reference section of the library. She also wanted to kick him and tell him he was the biggest jerk on the planet. She wanted to beg him to love her and forget about Stacey. Instead of doing any of those things, though, she simply stood and watched as the boy she loved slowly leaned down, pushed a tendril of Stacey's strawberry blonde hair back in much the same way he had done Rachel's many times, and kissed her. The stinging in Rachel's body started in her eyes and slowly made its way to her chest. She was surprised she could still manage to feel this intense pain yet it was still there. At that moment, she hated Noah Puckerman more than anything. He had turned her into a sniveling little sad sap. Rachel Berry was no sad weakling. And watching the two of them playing tonsil hockey reminded her that she always survived and she would survive this too. So in typical Rachel style, she stormed ahead to her locker, which was about eight feet from where the two were canoodling in the hallway.

Loudly, she spun her combination and then jerked open the door. She refused to look over at the couple but kept them in her peripheral vision as she jerked her book bag out, threw it on the ground, and then started loading books into it. The two-minute warning bell rang and she heard Stacey say something to Noah before walking away. She could see him approaching him and soon felt the closeness of his large frame.

Turning to him, she said, "Yes?"

He could see that she was angry. Guilt hit him in the gut. He probably should have told her that he wouldn't be at lunch today. "Hey, Rach. Sorry I missed lunch. I was…busy."

Rachel slammed her locked and turned toward him. "Don't apologize to me, Noah Puckerman. In the future, I would just appreciate a heads-up that you aren't coming. Then perhaps I would have taken lunch outside or have gone to the library to get some studying in. After all, THAT is what high school is all about." She slammed her locker closed, glared at him once more, and sauntered off down the hall, dragging her book bag behind her. Puck just stared after her. _Now what the hell is her problem? It's just lunch._

As Rachel arrived to her next class, she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was even holding. That actually made her feel better and maybe, hopefully, her little outburst would make him think about his actions. She thought of her favorite musical, _Wicked_, once again and decided she would take Fiyero's attitude: She was going to dance through life. As the song said, "Woes are fleeting, blows are glancing, when you're dancing through life." Right now, that sounded wonderful! Pulling out her pin with the fluffy pink feather on top, she opened her notebook and commenced paying attention for the first time in nearly a week.

Her resolve still strong by the time Glee practice rolled around, she stormed into the practice room like the little tornado that she was. Puck was already there, getting his guitar out. He watched her rush in and could tell that he was still in the proverbial doghouse.

"You still pissed, Berry?"

She spun on her heel and faced him. "I was never "pissed", Noah. Just disappointed. I thought we were friends, that's all." Turning away from him, she took a quick breath.

He approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. His hand was warm and she could feel the heat through her shirt. Her heart pounded again. She was beginning to think she had a medical condition – she was going to have to get that looked at. Turning her toward him, he smiled down at her. "We are friends, Rach. We're great friends. I'm sorry I blew you off today….this thing with Stacey is new, you know. I have to figure out how to make time for both of you." He looked down at his feet. He really was struggling with that. Rachel was his friend – perhaps his best friend – and he wanted her to remain that way. But Stacey was his girlfriend now. He had to figure out a way to share the time between both girls.

"Please just stick with me, Rach? It'll get easier."

She nodded just as the room started filling up. She was relieved for the added noise because she was afraid he could hear her heart beating a tap-tap-tap against her ribcage as she gazed into his warm eyes.

_Dammit._

* * *

At lunch on Tuesday, Rachel realized that her little fit about yesterday's lunch blow-off had backfired. Actually, no, it had more than backfired. It had snuck around and bit her on the ass because right as lunch started, Puck plopped his tray down next to Rachel…and Stacey dropped hers down across from his.

"Rachel, Stacey, Stacey, Rachel," Puck said as he took a massive bite into a soyburger posing as a high school cafeteria hamburger.

"We've met," they both said in unison as they stared down at their food.

"How?" Puck asked, jamming a french fry into his already full mouth.

"We were on debate team," Stacey said.

"Cool, so you're friends."

Stacey snorted at his statement but didn't say anything. Rachel just gazed at her banana like she was trying to will it to peel itself. At that moment, Rachel thought the only thing that could possibly be worse than this was if she accidentally saw Jacob Ben-Israel naked. Her life had become a hell-hole in a week.

After an exceptionally awkward lunch during which Puck seemed completely ignorant, Rachel excused herself and slipped into the ladies room. A few seconds behind her, the door opened and Stacey followed.

"Rachel, can I speak with you?"

Rachel turned toward her, noticing the look in Stacey's eye and instantly dreading what she was going to say.

"To what do I owe this honor, Stacey?"

Stacey stepped close to Rachel, whom she towered over by nearly five inches. "I don't know what the story is with you and Puck but I want to make something very, very clear right now. I am his girlfriend. Me. Not you. I think you need to be reminded of that."

Rachel stiffened her spine and looked Stacey square in the eyes. "You may be his girlfriend but I assure you, you're one in a long line of them. I, however, am a close, close friend of his. If you're threatened by me, that's your problem."

"Oh don't give me that shit. You are in love with him. It's so damn obvious that it makes me want to puke. But just so we're clear – he is mine. So back off."

Stacey then turned and stormed out, leaving Rachel standing alone with her mouth gaping over. Stacey knew that Rachel was in love with Noah too? Good grief, did she wear it all over her face or something? Rachel's shoulders dropped, feeling utterly defeated. Her stomach did a flip as the thought occurred to her: did Noah know too? The thought that he did, and had ignored it, was enough to make her want to lose her lunch. She preferred to believe that he didn't notice. And since he wasn't the most observant guy on the planet, because he was, after all, a teenage boy, maybe he really had no clue? That was Rachel's deepest hope because the other option was just entirely too humiliating.

Glee practice went by smoothly because Rachel had decided it was easiest to pretend Noah wasn't there. While she didn't ignore him, she certainly didn't pay him any attention. Used to having her by his side in Glee, the cold shoulder did not go unnoticed by Puck. He tried to meet her eyes several times just to roll his eyes at Mr. Schue or Mercedes but she never gave him the chance. She'd never seemed more interested in what Artie was saying. _What the hell?_ was all Puck could think.

As practice ended, Rachel gathered her things quickly so she could slip out the door before Noah noticed she was gone. Her plan was almost successful until he called after her just as she was about to leave.

"Rach, where you going?"

"Home, Noah."

"Aren't you coming over? It's Tuesday." He said it like she was stupid because they always spent Tuesday afternoons together.

Rachel sighed. There was no way she could get out of this without setting off warning bells. Resigned to spending an afternoon with the boy who didn't love her, she smiled and said, "Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot."

"Sweet," he said, slinging his guitar case over his shoulder. "Let's go."

They walked to his truck and she climbed in. At least she would have an afternoon alone with him.

Driving to Noah's house, she actually felt relaxed. The smell of him in his truck, a mixture of skin and deodorant and cologne, was comforting. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back and for a moment, almost forgot that her life had been so turned upside down lately.

She was pleased when they arrived at his house and she saw Dinah's car in the driveway. She adored Dinah…even if she was totally on to the whole "in love with her son" thing.

Walking inside, Rachel was greeted with a huge hug by Dinah. Just as Rachel and Puck settled at the dining room to dive into the cherry pie Dinah had made, there was a knock on the door.

Puck hopped up. "That's Stacey."

Rachel dropped her fork. For the first time in her life, she said the "f" word under her breath. Her reaction was not unnoticed by Dinah, who was leaning against the kitchen cabinet, watching the scene unfold. She also didn't miss the look of complete disgust that flashed across Stacey's face when she stepped into the kitchen and saw Rachel sitting at Puck's table. Sitting down next to Puck, who was now in between the two girls, she glared at Rachel. Dinah served her a piece of pie and she and Puck began whispering to one another. Puck's body was turned toward Stacey so that his back was almost completely to Rachel. She couldn't hear what they were saying, only hear the lowness of his voice. Stacey giggled at something he said. Rachel had never been so miserable. Her quiet afternoon with Noah was now destroyed. And then that's when it hit her: this was how it was going to be from now on. The thought made her sick. She couldn't come to Noah's house and become a third-wheel here too. It was bad enough at school.

After being alone with her thoughts for a few minutes, since Puck seemed to have forgotten she was in the room, Rachel stood up and quietly excused herself. Once she was out of the room, Dinah sat her coffee cup down silently and followed. She found Rachel standing in the half-bath, wiping tears from her eyes. Dinah squeezed her shoulder and Rachel turned to face her.

"I'm not going to be around much anymore, Dinah," Rachel whispered quietly, afraid Puck would hear her. Dinah snapped the door closed behind her and shook her head.

"I understand, Rachel…but even though my son is obviously an idiot, please remember that I am always here for you. "

Rachel nodded and Dinah continued. "You've become like a daughter to me. In all honesty, I want him with you. Stacey's not even Jewish and I can already tell that she's a little snob."

Rachel laughed through her tears. Noah was so much like his opinionated mother.

Dinah put her hands on Rachel's shoulders and said, "Just remember that you can talk to me whenever. Call me, email me, stop by…whatever. Can you promise me that?"

Rachel nodded silently. She folded herself into Dinah's embrace for a moment and then the two women broke apart. With a nod, Rachel opened the door, slipped out into the hallway, grabbed her stuff, and was gone.

Dinah walked back into the kitchen to find Noah and Stacey in much the same position she had left him. To grab her son's attention, she clanged her coffee cup against the countertop. He took the bait and turned around, first looking at his mother and then noticing that Rachel's seat was empty.

"Wait…where's Rach?" he asked, looking around the room.

Dinah answered curtly, "She had to leave."

"Oh, okay," was Puck's reply.

She heard Stacey whisper "Good" before dragging Puck's attention back towards her.

At that moment, staring at her mohawked, obviously dense son and his strawberry blonde Gentile girlfriend, Dinah decided that she was going to stir things up a bit. Realizing that she knew exactly what she needed to do, she smiled into her cup of coffee. Her son may be blinded right now…but he wouldn't know what hit him when she was done.


	7. The Meddling Mama

**Author's note: Happy January 1****st****, readers!!! Hope you all had a nice New Year's. Your comments are all so much fun to read. I've laughed out loud at several of them. Puck is pretty frustrating, isn't he? Those of you who have experienced unrequited teenage love can, I am sure, relate to this exactly. Boys! (*throws up her hands*) Happy reading!**

* * *

After the disastrous after-school gathering at Puck's house, where Stacey showed up and she was ignored, Rachel decided to start cutting the established ties between herself and Noah. Her heart was still broken and she still loved him so much that she couldn't breathe but she was also intelligent and knew when it was time say "enough is enough." And it was obvious to her, thanks to yesterday's fiasco, that her tolerance limit had been reached.

That day, Rachel sent Puck a text message right before lunch.

_Won't be lunch. Studying in library for test._

His response was a quick and cool _K._

When lunch rolled around, Rachel sat in the quiet auditorium behind the big curtain and ate her lunch. She suddenly felt like she had gone back into time…back to her freshmen year when she had zero friends and the auditorium was her constant sanctuary. She knew that if she wanted, she could probably eat lunch with Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Artie. Right now, though, she didn't want to have to explain the reason she _wasn't _with Noah. So instead, she sat alone with only the absolute stillness as company. She needed the time, however, to figure out how to get out of spending the afternoon with Noah. They were together after school usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. After yesterday's horrendous episode, Rachel couldn't stomach another day. She decided, as she finished her turkey sandwich and drank her tea, that she would tell Noah she had a doctor's appointment right after school. He would understand that.

As it turns out, though, Rachel didn't need to use her excuse. As soon as Rachel walked into the choir room, Puck was by her side.

"Rach, I gotta cancel on this afternoon."

She looked up at him, knowing what he was going to say before he said it. "Stacey wants me to go hang out at her house."

"That's…that's fine, Noah. I'll just catch a ride home with Kurt."

As Glee practice began, Rachel sat on the other side of the room and once again stayed heavily focused on those right around her. As the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Rachel watched as Puck popped out his cell phone and immediately made a phone call. Not giving her a second glance, he walked out the door.

She stood watching him, unmoving, unblinking. Her chest was tight with emotion that had no outlet. Singing didn't even cure this pain. Next to her, Kurt was quietly packing up his bag.

"You should fight for him, you know," Kurt said quietly.

Her head jerked toward him. "What?"

"Puck….You shouldn't let him go without a fight."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Rachel sputtered.

Kurt put a hand on Rachel's arm. "Rachel, I can see that your heart is broken. The red-rimmed eyes and raw nose that you've been sporting for the past week tells me that you're spending every free moment crying over a certain Mohawk-wearing Adonis. If you want Puck, why don't you go after him?"

Rachel stared at the floor. "Because he doesn't want me, Kurt. I was right in front of him and he chose someone else. I spent enough time being played by Finn to know when I can't win. And in this case…I can't win."

"But how will you know if you never even tried?"

With those parting words, Kurt nudged her to grab her bag. They walked to his SUV in silence and Rachel climbed in, milling over Kurt's words in her head.

"I don't know, Kurt. Noah and I have become such good friends….but he doesn't even want to be around me anymore thanks to _her._ I think that it's just best to let it go. It's….It's just for the best."

Kurt was silent as he pulled into Rachel's driveway. "Just think about what I've said, Rachel. Noah Puckerman, despite his many flaws, is heavenly to look at, not so bad to listen to, and really a nice guy once he stopped tossing me into dumpster. You could do worse."

Rachel gave Kurt a sad smile, thanked him for the ride, and disappeared inside.

Kurt rolled his eyes, made some comment about heterosexuals, and drove away.

* * *

The next day at lunch, Rachel sent Puck another message that she was practicing for Glee and wouldn't be at lunch. He didn't respond.

She didn't bother to send a message the next day at all.

* * *

By the next Monday, Rachel has accepted the fact that her friendship with Noah was definitely damaged. They had spoken pleasantries with each other during the latter half of the school week but had not gotten together since the Stacey incident on Tuesday. She didn't hear from him once over the weekend, not that she had expected to. But Rachel, ever the optimist, told herself that it was for the best because she had accomplished so much over the weekend. Her CDs were indexed and alphabetized. Her closet had been cleaned out. Her bureau drawers had been reorganized, the items sorted by color. Her desk had been cleared of any rubbish, making extra space. She had updated her journal, which had been neglected once she and Noah had started spending so much time together. She spent seven pages writing about the whole thing and, after re-reading it, realized how angry she sounded. It was only then that she realized exactly how angry she really was. She had been there for Noah when no one else had been…and she was repaid by being forgotten once he found a girlfriend.

At the end of the weekend, Rachel's bedroom was in tip-top shape and she had only cried three times. All in all, it was a successful weekend.

It wasn't until a few days later in the week that Puck realized that something was missing. It was Wednesday again and he was lying on his bed, tossing a football into the air over and over. Stacey was doing some "teambuilding exercise" or some crap with the swim team and wouldn't be available. They had agreed to talk on the phone later that night but it left Puck with a free afternoon.

He wandered around the house a bit, messing with his sister until she got mad, kicked him, and slammed her bedroom door. After that, he turned on ESPN. Once he was done with that, he flipped over to Nickelodeon to catch some _Spongebob Squarepants._ By 6pm, when Dinah got home, he was bored out of his mind.

When she walked in the door, he was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for stir-fry.

Dinah stood, unmoving, in the kitchen. Her son didn't cook. Ever.

"Noah, honey, what are you doing?"

He looked up from his task. "Oh, hey Ma. I was bored…thought I would help you get dinner started."

Stunned, she nodded and walked over to him. "Where's Stacey?"

"Swim team thing today. I'll talk to her tonight."

He began slicing a green pepper. Dinah then asked, "Where's Rachel?"

Puck's knife stopped. He looked up at her and said, "I don't know, Ma. We haven't exactly seen much of each other lately."

Dinah just stared at him disapprovingly. "That's too bad, Noah. She has been such a good friend to you."

Setting down the knife, he leaned back against the kitchen cabinet. "I know, Ma. Things are just….different now. Stacey hates when I hang out with Rachel and Rachel just seems…like she's not really there anymore."

Dinah's heart broke for Rachel at that moment. She hadn't seen nor heard from her in over a week but she knew that the girl was probably still saddened by this whole turn of events.

"Well, Noah…do you miss Rachel?"

Puck looked up and met his mother's gaze. "Of course I do. I just don't know what to do about it."

"Maybe you need to figure that out?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

That night, after Puck had gone to his room to talk to Stacey, Dinah decided that she had waited long enough. Her obtuse, handsome son was definitely feeling the pangs of missing Rachel. Now was the perfect time to put her plan into motion. She made a few calls and by the end of the night, had something set up.

* * *

The next morning, before Puck could leave for school, Dinah called after him. "Noah, don't make plans for Friday night."

He stopped and poked his head into the living room, where Dinah was balancing her checkbook. "Why?"

"We're having company and I need you to be here…alone."

Puck looked at her curiously. "Okay….who's coming?"

She smiled sweetly up at him. "I've invited Adam Zadok over to have dinner with us. I want him to meet Rachel."

Puck swiveled his head toward his mother. "Who the hell is Adam Zadok?"

She glared at him for his use of language and said, "He's a nice boy who works after school at the Jewish Community Center. He goes to the private high school in town."

Puck's brow furrowed. "Why do you want Rachel to meet _him_?"

"Well, sweetie, now that you have a girlfriend, I think Rachel needs to be happy, too. Adam is a very nice boy. I think he'll get along with her perfectly."

Puck snorted. "Well don't make any solid plans. I can't imagine Rachel agreeing to being set up." He turned to leave.

"I spoke to her last night, honey. She's quite excited about it."

Puck didn't say anything else. He just left the house with a scowl on his face, unaware of his mother's grin.

* * *

All day Friday, Puck was in a pissy mood. Stacey kept asking him what his problem was but he couldn't tell her. Honestly, he didn't know. Finally, he figured out that it was because his mom made him cancel his date with Stacey on Friday so he could sit around and watch some dork from the JCC hit on Rachel. _What a fuckin' way to spend a Friday._

Rachel made the mistake of telling Kurt about the set-up orchestrated by Puck's mom. Kurt squealed with delight and insisted on coming over to Rachel's house before the event to do her hair and makeup. After he promised not to make her look like a harlot like he did the time Finn came over, she acquiesced and agreed to let him be her official stylist for the event.

Once he was done working his magic, Kurt spun Rachel's chair around and looked at his handiwork as it reflected back at him in the mirror. Rachel's hair was done in soft curls that cascaded around her face. She had on pale pink eye shadow, eye liner, and even a few false lashes at the outer edges of her eyes. Her cheeks shimmered thanks to the sheer pink blush that had been expertly applied by Kurt.

"Puck is going to die," Kurt said, smiling at his handiwork.

"I'm dressing up for Adam, not Noah," Rachel advised him.

Kurt just gave Rachel a condescending smile. "Well you may be dressing up for Adam but Puck is going to see you and probably think twice about dating the She-Devil he calls his girlfriend."

Although Rachel would never admit it, she had hoped Kurt was right.

Dinner was scheduled for 7pm so Rachel arrived promptly. Dinah let her in, taking in her pretty hair, beautiful make-up, and cute but slightly revealing purple dress. _My son is going to be so uncomfortable_ was all she could think.

Rachel made herself at home in the kitchen with Dinah, painfully aware that Puck was nowhere around. Just as she was about to ask Dinah if he was out tonight, she heard his unmistakable footsteps on the stairs.

"Ma, when are we going to get this whole mess underway…" he began as he stepped into the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed Rachel was there. She didn't turn around.

"Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. Adam should be here anytime."

"Okay…" He stared for a moment, waiting for Rachel to acknowledge him. When she didn't, he finally said, "Hey, Rach."

She turned to face him. "Hi, Noah. How are you?"

Puck looked at her…from the top of her head to the soles of her black heels. She didn't look like she normally did. She almost looked…hot. Realizing that he was checking out Rachel friggin' Berry, his best – well, former best – friend, he mentally smacked himself. "I'm good." Then he turned and walked out.

Rachel exhaled noisily without realizing that it was even audible.

"Is it getting any easier, honey?" Dinah asked quietly.

"Only because we barely speak anymore," Rachel confided.

Dinah hugged her quickly. "Well I hope you like Adam."

Just thing, the doorbell rang. As Dinah went to open the door, Rachel couldn't help but think _here goes nothing._

* * *

Adam was, to put it simply, divine. He had boyishly handsome features (much more like Finn than the hardened edges of Noah's gorgeous face.) He was charming and funny and he and Rachel shared a lot of common interests. They chatted over dinner and Dinah watched over the two of them. She also noticed her son, who sat at the other end of the table, stabbing his chicken with his fork repeatedly but never actually putting food into his mouth. Dinah could only think of one word to describe her son's behavior: conflicted.

Dinah, wanting to spur this little matchmaking along, said to Adam, "So, tell us about the work you do down at the Jewish Community Center."

Adam smiled over at Dinah and then locked eyes with Rachel. "I work with the kids who attend public school and just come to the JCC after school. We teach cultural classes. That's how I met Dinah. Leah comes to my class."

Rachel smiled at him. "That's wonderful that you volunteer like that."

"Well, I think the continuation of our Jewish heritage is vital. So I'm just doing my part."

Rachel beamed at him. Puck, watching the whole exchange, groaned internally. _What a crock of shit. This guy is so full of himself, I'm surprised his head doesn't fucking explode. _

"Rachel, why don't you tell Adam about your involvement with the Glee club?"

Puck rolled his eyes. _Prepare for a 45-minute dissertation on her talents. _

Instead, Rachel was quite humble, discussing the talent of the group as a whole and even complimenting Puck, whom she noticed sat the end of the table without speaking.

"I would love to hear you sing sometime," Adam said shyly. At that moment, Puck wished he could barf on cue because he seriously wanted to just spew all over the wavy-haired moron. For a moment, Puck wondered if he'd go to jail if he stabbed the douchebag in the eye with his butter knife. This guy was _so _making a play for Rachel and she _didn't even see it_! He was going to have to have a talk with her about not falling for guys and their shit. And he knew what he was talking about considering he dished out a lot of that shit himself.

"So Rachel," Adam said, obviously hemming and hawing around what he was trying to say. "Are you presently…unattached?"

_Fuck no, she's not!_ Puck wanted to scream. Then he remembered that yeah, she was unattached actually. _Shit._

Rachel stared at him, wide-eyed. Was he about to ask her out? In front of Dinah and Leah? In front of NOAH???

"Yes, yes, Adam, I am. I have been unable to…find a boy who appreciated me," she said, giving Puck a glance out of the corner of her eye.

Puck sat silently, his fists balled in his lap. As soon as this lovefest was over, he was going to chew out his mother for meddling. This was ridiculous. He could be spending the evening with Stacey but no…he was stuck watching the King of the Prick People practically jump Rachel's bones at his dinner table – in front of his fucking SISTER.

"Would….would you like to go out tomorrow night?"

Rachel's cheeks went red. _Yes, _Puck thought. _Here's where she tells Cumstain that she doesn't date morons. _

"I would love to go out tomorrow, Adam."

_What. The. Fuck?_

For the rest of the dinner, small talk was made by everyone but Puck. He said nothing and made eye contact with no one. Dinah was almost giddy. Her son was so easy to play!

After dishes were cleared, Adam departed with a promise to call Rachel in the morning to firm up their plans.

Rachel gathered her things and hugged Dinah. "Thank you for the evening, Dinah. Adam was really great."

"I thought you'd like him, dear. He's a wonderful boy."

They said their goodnights and then Rachel headed toward the door. Puck was waiting for her. Silently, he opened the door for her and followed her outside. They said nothing to one another as he walked her to her car. As she was unlocking the door, he said, smiling, "So that guy was a dickhead, wasn't he?"

Rachel twirled her head to face him, her curls flying behind her. "If by "dickhead" you mean charming, intelligent, and handsome, then yes, I suppose he was a "dickhead."" She jerked open the car door and slid in the seat. "Goodnight, Noah."

Slamming the door, she started the car.

_What the….?_ Puck stared after her. The chick was _whack_.

After Rachel's car disappeared into the night, Puck stalked back into the house. He was going to get to the bottom of his mother's meddling right now.

When he stormed into the kitchen, Dinah was washing dishes. Noticing her son's presence, she said, "I think that went well tonight, don't you?"

Puck huffed loudly and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table, throwing his large frame down into it.

"If you mean that we all got to spend dinner watching that dude act like a douche and Rachel swoon over him, then yeah, I guess it went well."

Dinah smiled into her sink full of soapy suds. _So far, so good._

"Was Rachel swooning? I think she was enamored with him, yes, but I don't think it's fair to say that she was swooning."

"Whatever, Ma. She practically broke out into song when he asked her for her number."

Dinah turned to face Puck. "Good. I hope they really hit it off."

Puck scratched his fingers through his Mohawk and stared up at his mother. "But Ma, I don't understand why you're getting involved in the first place? What's in it for you?"

Dinah sighed, exasperated. "Noah, Rachel doesn't have a mother who can help her. And face it; fathers just can't do what mothers can do sometimes. And she hasn't have much of a friend out of you lately so _**I**_ am going to help her. I'm trying to prove to her that not everyone in the Puckerman household is going to abandon her when something better comes along."

Puck flinched at his mother's words. _How could she say that?_ Sure, he hadn't been the greatest friend to Rachel lately. He was just so busy with Stacey. But his mother's words? _Those fucking stung_.

Puck stood up, shoved his chair under the table and mumbled "whatever. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." He was then gone and she heard his bedroom door close a few seconds later.

Dinah smiled to herself, sitting herself down at the table. _Poor guy,_ she thought, _he just doesn't get it yet. But he will…._

Upstairs in his room, Puck sat down on the bed. He didn't move for a few moments. He just sat there, silently staring at his feet as he fingered the frayed edge of his old quilt. Tonight was just _weird._ He had never seen a guy fawn all over Rachel like that before. Frankly, it made him uncomfortable. And it was further disconcerting about how open to his advances that Rachel was. But his mom was right: Rachel deserved to be happy, too. So he should be happy for her, right? Yeah…that's right. He would be happy for her. She deserved it….

As Puck fell asleep that night, he felt an unfamiliar unsettledness in his stomach. Chocking it up to his mother's greasy cooking, he fell asleep.


	8. Saturday Night Date

**Author's note: So I spent the second half of the day in bed with some kind of stomach bug. Just me and my netbook….writing away. And since so many of you asked for a more frequent update and I can't walk more than four feet without wanting to fall over from stomach pain, I am happy to oblige. My tummy still hurts and now my hubby's is hurting, too. Guess my cooking poisoned us both again (and I went to freakin' culinary school - okay, so I technically dropped OUT of culinary school but I still went! And I CAN cook!) Anyway, here is the next installment. This chapter came out of nowhere. The date was supposed to be just a quick thing and other things were going to happen. Instead, THIS whole thing happened. Sometimes, I think my fingers have a mind of their own because words will just appear on the screen that were never even in my head! **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had fun writing it. Review please!**

* * *

Rachel's Saturday date with Adam called for her to send an emergency text to Kurt.

_Date tonight. Need to look hot. Need your help. Stat!_

While she waited for her fashion advisor to arrive, she made a promise to herself. _Today is all about Adam. Today you do not think about Noah. Noah doesn't exist today. Adam. Adam. Adam._

Thirty minutes later, Kurt was standing on Rachel's front porch, loaded down with hair and skincare products.

As they settled into Rachel's room, Kurt decided that they needed to settle on an outfit before he could do her makeup.

Opening up her closet, he scrunched up his face in disgust. "Dear God…"

"What?" Rachel asked defensively from her position on her bed.

Turning toward her, he said, "Rachel, dear. This closet looks like something I would see if I stopped by Waving Pines Nursing Home. You have more sweater vests than any one self-respecting 63-year-old woman should have. And you're sixteen."

Rachel stood up and marched to her closet. "I have plenty of good clothes to wear." She shuffled through her clothes and smiled when she spotted the perfect outfit. Pulling it out, she asked, "What about this?"

Kurt laughed loudly, eyeing the polyester nightmare within Rachel's grasp.

"Yes, Rachel….every teenaged girl needs to wear a pantsuit on her first date with a new boy." Rolling her eyes, he jerked the suit out of Rachel's hands and threw it in the trash bin.

Turning, he checked his hair in the mirror and then said, "We have to go to the mall, you know. "

"Fine," Rachel said stubbornly, sulking all the way to Kurt's SUV. _My fashion sense is perfectly acceptable!_

* * *

Kurt took to malls like ducks did to water. He parked close to the entrance and practically glided through the doors. Standing in the middle of the vestibule, he looked left and then right, trying to decide which store would work best for Rachel's desperate need of clothing not designed by and for grannies and school crossing guards.

Spying the store of his choice, Kurt grabbed Rachel by the arm and dragged her through the entrance. The woman inside started to ask them if they needed her assistance but Kurt waved her off, saying, "Don't worry, I've got this. I'm sure there are less fashionable people who need your assistance."

The woman flounced off and Kurt deposited Rachel in front of a mirror. "Stand here. Don't look at anything. You'll start pulling all the ugly things off the rack and it will destroy my karma."

Rachel glared at him but didn't move. Clothing stores such as this really were outside her comfort zone.

Kurt milled around, occasionally walking up to Rachel and holding something up to her.

"Too slutty," he said about one outfit before walking off again.

"Good Lord, this is worse than the junk already in your closet," he commented about another outfit.

"Looks like something Miss Pillsbury would wear," was his opinion on a flowery, bow-laden shirt.

After 20 minutes of criticizing everything made of fabric in the store, his eyes settled on a simple, form-fitting red top with a plunging neckline. Eyeing the mid-calf length black skirt hanging below it, Kurt sang out, "Bingo!"

He had Rachel try on the outfit. Grabbing a pair of spiky heels in a shimmery red color, complete with ankle straps, he declared himself fabulous.

"Rachel, if you looked any hotter, _**I**_ would do you."

Rachel burst out laughing and turned to look at herself in the mirror. She did look pretty awesome. Noah would die…except that she was going out with Adam tonight.

_Dammit._

Once Rachel was back home with her new outfit, Kurt commenced the makeup and hair styling. He piled her hair on top of her head in a loose updo that Kurt said made her look "post-coital." Her eyes were smoky and seductive. When he was done, Rachel told him, "You could seriously open up a salon, Kurt. You do magnificent work!"

He grinned, loving the compliment because being a style-maven was so important to him. He squeezed her shoulder and said, "You were a perfect canvas, Rachel. And Adam is going to die. I just wish Puck could see you like this."

Rachel glared at him in the mirror. "Why do you have to bring him up today?"

Kurt leaned back, staring at his fingernails. "Because he's the big, muscular elephant in the room, obviously. If we turn on Adam, we anger Puck. It's a win-win. Don't question my judgment!"

Rachel giggled, thinking that she hadn't had this much fun in months…when she was with Noah all the time.

_Dammit._

* * *

By the time Adam finally arrived, Rachel was a nervous wreck. This was really, technically, her first real date. She and Noah were just friends when they did all those things so they didn't count as dates.

When Adam knocked on the door, Rachel opened it. Adam's mouth dropped open a few inches and stayed that way.

"Hi, Adam," she said shyly.

"R….R…Hi Rachel, you look….lovely."

She smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes the way Kurt had taught her, and grabbed her purse.

"Be back later, Daddy!" she called. Adam offered her his arm like a gentlemen. Taking it, they walked toward his car together.

* * *

Puck and Stacey walked hand-in-hand through the mall. Stacey's mother's birthday was tomorrow and so Puck had been recruited to help her shop tonight as part of their date. They had already been into three stores that sold porcelain trinkets that were imported from China but apparently they weren't the RIGHT Chinese-made porcelain trinkets so Stacey kept looking. He just rolled his eyes. He hoped they finished up soon because there was a new flick showing at the cinema that he was dying to see. He didn't know much about it, other than the fact that it involved Ving Rhames and a whole bunch of shit blowing up. It sounded bitchin' to him.

As they walked along, Stacey casually said, "So how was your date with Rachel last night?"

Puck stopped and looked down at her. "It wasn't a date, Stacey. My mom hooked her up with some Jewish guy and insisted I be there. I don't know why the fuck I had to be there. It was really disgusting."

Stacey furrowed her brow. "Why was it disgusting? Well, other then the fact that Rachel was there so that, in and of itself, is pretty damn disgusting."

Puck turned and met Stacey's eyes. "Look, Stace, I know you don't like Rachel for whatever reason. But you need to stop saying terrible shit about her. Like it or not, she's my friend."

Stacey rolled her eyes. "Yeah, your friend that wants to rip your clothes off."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Puck was getting seriously pissed. He was tempted to ask Stacey if she was on her period.

"Puck, I don't know if you just don't pay attention or if you're ignoring it but that pathetic nerdy friend of yours is in love with you."

Puck said nothing. He was completely stunned. _Rachel's in love with…me?_ Stacey was obviously delusional. "That's bullshit. We were just really great friends." _And I wish we still were_. "But I can assure you, if Rachel Berry was in love with me, I would know it. That girl wears her emotions on her sleeve. You should have seen her when she was chasing after Finn Hudson…."

Stacey groaned inwardly but was relieved. She couldn't believe she had let that slip! She didn't want to put any ideas into his gorgeous head….she hadn't even seen him without his shirt on yet!

Smiling sweetly up at Puck, she looped her arm through his. "I'm sorry, baby. I'll try to be nicer to Rachel. I just need to remind myself that you're just friends…that's all. Forgive me for getting jealous?"

She reached up and kissed him gently on the mouth. He shot her a grin and they sauntered away together.

* * *

"So what do you want to see, Rachel? There's the new Ving Rhames movie and the new Sandra Bullock movie?" Adam and Rachel were standing in front of the movie theater kiosk at the mall, trying to decide what to watch.

"I don't really care, Adam. Either one looks fine…. You decide."

He smiled and said, "okay….I got it."

A few minutes later, he had their tickets and they were in the concession line.

* * *

Puck sat in the theater, wondering when the movie was going to start. He was totally pissed that he somehow got roped into watching Sandra Bullock fall in love with some gay dude instead of watching Ving Rhames blow shit up next door. The crap he did for women….

* * *

Adam had Rachel's arm as they walked into the theater. Standing at the bottom, they looked up, trying to decide where to sit. Rachel just wanted to sit down – the heels Kurt picked out were killing her. He told her that, "Good fashion can be painful" and she didn't believe him. She should have. Her feet had to be positively bleeding by now. And she was pretty sure a toenail had been rubbed off. If only the shoes weren't so sexy....

Adam led her up the steps and into an empty row near the top. As they walked down the aisle, making way towards the center, she looked at the row above theirs and met Noah's eyes. She looked away then did a double take. _Wait! Noah! _Noah was at the movies with Stacey? For the second time in very short period, Rachel said the "f" word under her breath.

* * *

Puck was pretty sure that he was going to have to kill himself. He hadn't paid any attention to the people around him because Stacey was resting her hand on the outside of his jeans about an inch above his dick. But suddenly, he was looking into the eyes of Rachel fucking Berry. He groaned inwardly and wished there was a fire alarm that he could pull so he could get the fuck out of there. _Adam and Rachel at the movies – right fucking in front of me. And she looks sexy as shit. Holy fuck...her ass in that skirt... _He looked over at Stacey, who was flipping through her text messages and hadn't noticed Rachel take a seat in front of them. _Thank God. I don't need her having a bitch-fest right now._ As the previews began to play and the lights darkened, Puck decided he was officially in hell. He got to watch Sandra Bullock fall in love with a gay dude while Rachel sat right in front of him on her date with her very own gay dude.

* * *

Rachel couldn't breathe. Of all the stupid movies to go to, they had to end up at the same one as Noah and Stacey? At that moment, she was pretty sure that someone, somewhere, must really have it in for her. Adam rambled on about something – Rachel wasn't paying attention – until the previews started and the lights went down. This was going to be one long movie….

* * *

Three minutes into the movie, Puck was ready to leave. The plot was stupid. Sandra Bullock was playing a 29-year-old when she was obviously like 50 or something. Sure, he'd tap that but he still wished for a little realism. And thanks to the fact that Rachel was sitting a few seats down and in front of him, the angle caused him to be able to see right down her fucking shirt. Like RIGHT down it. As the lights changed with the scenery up on the screen, he watched the shadows change in her cleavage. Sometimes, her breasts would recess and other times, the lighting made them look huge. Shit, he didn't even know she had breasts. He was tempted to get up, go kick the back of her seat, and tell her to cover that shit up. Nobody should see that…why was she fucking advertising? He scowled back up at the screen, decided that the guy who played Sandra's love interest wasn't only gay but that he also used to be a chick. And then he felt Stacey's hand slid down his stomach and settle directly on his dick. He looked over at her. She was staring at the screen, a coy smile playing across her lips. Looking back down at her hand, now gently massaging his junk, Puck had one singular thought: _Oh fuck._

* * *

Rachel had no idea what was happening on the screen in front of her. Sandra Bullock was in the middle of some slapstick comedy routine and Adam, sitting to her right, howled next to her. She couldn't believe that THAT BOY sitting behind her was ruining her first date. She swore she could smell his cologne of the scent of popcorn, hotdogs, and sweat. At that moment, she wished for a fire alarm…or anything that would get her the _hell _out of there.

* * *

Back up in the next row, Stacey was slowly drawing circles around Puck's dick through his denim fabric. He would close his eyes and enjoy it because it had been SO long since he had had any action whatsoever. And then he'd open his eyes, see Rachel with her hair piled on top of her head like she was inviting someone to suck on her neck, and want to scream. _What the fuck is wrong with you? Your girlfriend is making a move, dude. You can probably get a blowjob out of the deal tonight. Don't FUCK IT UP! Forget about Rachel down there. She's on her own damn date…._ With the resolve that can only belong to a teenaged boy who has the potential to get laid, Puck pushed all thoughts of Rachel out of his head and focused on Stacey's wonderful, delicious movements. Maybe this night wasn't total shit.

* * *

As Puck dropped Stacey off, he decided that yeah, this night really was total shit. She played with his junk, all right, but once he tried to move things along after the date, she shut him down like she'd taken over Quinn's position as president of the Celibacy Club. "What I did in the movie theater was merely a preview of what's to come, Puckerman. Be patient and I promise it will be worth your while." Completely sexually frustrated and furious that Rachel had shown up with her douchebaggy date, he wanted to go home and take a cold shower. As Stacey closed the door after giving Puck a long, passionate goodnight kiss, she heaved a sigh of relief. She completely freaked out when she saw Rachel sitting in the row in front of him. Once she noticed that Puck's attention seemed to be on her and not on either the movie or Stacey, she had to do SOMETHING. Sure, she would put out eventually but she wasn't quite ready yet. She hoped that Rachel's arrival tonight and her subsequent over-the-close-psudo-masturbation didn't screw things up. Damn that Rachel Berry. She never imagined that such a loser would have the power to screw things up with her and Puck. She was going to have to put out sooner than her "12 date rule" if this shit kept up.

* * *

Arriving back at home, Rachel thanked Adam for the nice date. He kissed her chastely on the lips, promised to call her the next day, and left. She watched him leave, waving as he pulled away.

Walking up to her bedroom, she kicked off her shoes and cried out with relief when her bare feet made contact with the cool, plush carpet of her bedroom. She was never wearing those shoes again.

She changed out of her outfit, carefully draping it over her chair, and put on her pajamas. Crawling into bed, she snapped off the light and stared out into the darkness. Her first date was supposed to be special and exciting. It was supposed to be a memory she cherished forever. But nooooo…it was ruined by the presence of Noah Puckerman and the She-Devil. And Sandra Bullock didn't help either.

_Dammit._


	9. Dreams

**Author's note: So I'm still making my way through my Glee DVD. I'm watching all my favorite performances over again right now. Seriously – Mark Salling's behind in those jeans in "My Last Name" from **_**The Rhodes Not Taken.**_** Good grief….I'm beginning to think he needs to walk around with a warning label. *gahhhhh***

**And I realized something – I've written nearly every chapter of this story while listening to the "Wicked" soundtrack. (It's my only current non-Glee related obsession). So that's why I keep referencing it in this story….the music is just too perfect and goes with my story!**

**And thanks for the well wishes. Hubby is fine now but I barely slept last night because of stomach pain. Ugh!**

_

* * *

Puck plunges his hands into her hair, pulling her down for a kiss. She kisses him, swirling her tongue into his mouth before pulling away. Sitting back up, she arches her back as he thrusts into her from below. His eyes are drawn to the way her small, perfect breasts bounce with every jerk of his body. She draws her head back, pushing her breasts forward as she goes over the edge, crying out, "Yessssssssss…." He sits up in the bed, pressing her body hard against his, grinding their bodies together, as the orgasm rips through his own body. She trembles in his arms, collapsing into a heap….._

Puck shot up in bed, his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Swearing, he flipped on the light by his bed. It was the third night in a row for a sex dream. Last night, he did her doggy style. The first night, they'd had sex in the back of his truck. Emitting a low, fierce growl of frustration, he pushed himself out of bed and went into the bathroom to splash water on his face. His hands gripping the porcelain countertop, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. _What the fuck is wrong with me? _Ever since the big date fiasco of Saturday night, he had been unable to escape from these sex dreams. And they wouldn't be so bad – hell, he'd actually enjoy them, maybe – if they were about Stacey, his girlfriend. But no! The star of his wet dreams was none other than _Rachel._ And that was a huge fucking problem.

Needless to say, he was in a foul mood upon arriving at school. He couldn't figure out when his life had become an entrance to the threshold of Hell but that's where he stood. He'd been doing some extensive self-analysis since he woke up with a massive hard-on after his first sex dream. As far as he could figure, this all started because 1) Stacey teased but didn't produce on Saturday; and 2) Rachel's tight little body looked so damn hot in her date outfit; and 3) He'd spent too much time at the movie staring at Rachel's boobs. It was really simple…but how in the hell was he going to make them stop? He needed to get laid!

And these hot, sweaty sex dreams were further complicated by the fact that this whole Rachel/Adam thing had shown him something: He really missed Rachel. Like really. Like he just wanted to see her and talk to her. Wanted her to come hang out at his house like she used to, before there even was a Stacey or an Adam. But as she passed him in the hallway without even acknowledging him, he wondered how, exactly, they could ever get back to where they were.

* * *

Rachel saw Noah coming toward her down the hallway and averted her eyes as he walked by. Ever since Saturday's date, the emotional turmoil raging through her small body was overwhelming. She and Adam had gotten together Sunday afternoon for coffee and he had asked her to be his girlfriend officially. She excitedly said yes. And for that afternoon and evening, she was euphoric. Adam was such a wonderful guy. He was intelligent, funny, respectful, and handsome. She was still on Cloud 9 when she arrived at school yesterday. And then she took one glance at Noah out of the corner of her eye and her euphoria just disappeared. She still loved that idiot. He was still the most handsome, talented boy she knew. He still made her laugh like no one else could. He still excited her – sending shivers down her spine – when he looked at her. Adam didn't do that. And she felt awful about it. She was finally someone's "girlfriend" and yet it just didn't feel right. It couldn't feel right. He wasn't the right boy. But Rachel was nothing if not determined. So she had decided that she was going to stick with Adam. He was, after all, wonderful. He could really be a great boyfriend. Maybe as they got to know one another, she would forget about Mr. Mohawk & Muscles…. That was her hope, anyway. After all, Adam _wanted_ to be with her and that went a long way in convincing her that she needed to be with him. She could hear Kurt's singsong voice chiding her again with accusations that she was "settling." She pushed it back from the forefront of her mind.

* * *

At the end of 1st period, Puck's phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked down and read a message from Stacey.

_Sick today. Come see me after school, baby. _

Puck looked up and smiled. He could have lunch with Rachel for the first time in weeks. His day suddenly got better.

* * *

Lunchtime rolled around and Puck swaggered into the cafeteria, winking at a few Cheerios as he went. He stood for a moment, looking the rows up and down for his chestnut-haired friend. But she wasn't there. Frowning, he turned and went back out. Leaning against the wall, he tried to figure out where she would be. _Auditorium!_ _Duh!_

As he approached the door to the auditorium, he heard the unmistakable sound of a piano being played. Quietly opening the door, he heard Rachel's powerful voice, even without a microphone. Sitting down in the darkened back row, he closed his eyes. He missed that voice. He heard her sing in Glee practice everyday but here, in the darkened auditorium, her voice had a stronger, more emotional power to it. _God she was talented._

Up on stage, Rachel was unaware of her audience of one. At the start of lunch today, she was overcome with melancholy. When that happened, the only thing that helped was to sing. And the only song she could sing, the only one that had been in her head since this whole Noah disaster started, was "I'm Not That Girl." So she pushed the piano cover back, sat down, and started to sing.

Puck listened to her words filter through the auditorium. She sounded so sad, her voice even catching on the last line. He tilted his head curiously. The words…they were just so heartbreaking. And they seemed so personal. He wondered if there was actual truth in what Stacey had said on Saturday. Was Rachel really in l…? _No...too ridiculous to even believe. _But the words she was singing and the sadness in her voice….

Realizing she was done, he stood and cleared his throat. She jerked her head toward the noise.

"Hello?" She called into the darkness.

He walked down the aisle toward the stage. Stopping at the stairs, he looked up at her.

"Hey Rach."

"Hi," she answered meekly, and then added, "….how are you?"

"Good…good."

They stared at one another for a moment like the past several months had never happened and like a deep friendship had never developed.

Finally, Puck said, "So I take it your date went well on Saturday?"

She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Yes…yes it did."

Puck wanted to ask her if she was dating that dude now. That was the only question that really mattered. Instead, he told her, "You looked great, by the way. I wanted to tell you but didn't want to interrupt your date."

"Thank you, Noah. Kurt helped me with my clothes."

Puck laughed. "I should have figured….So….are you and What's-His-Name officially dating now?"

"Yes, we are. And his name is Adam."

Puck jammed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, Adam, that's it….Well, good. You deserve to be happy."

Again, there was silence as they stared at one another. Just then, the warning bell rang.

"I…I guess I better go," Rachel said.

"Yeah. Well…see ya 'round, Berry."

He turned to go. "Bye, Puck."

He purposeful stride faltered. She hadn't called him Puck since back before they dated. Puck was his nickname; everybody called him Puck. But when Rachel called him that, instead of Noah, it felt so impersonal, like she didn't know him at all. Pushing out of the darkness and back into the bright light of the hallway, the burning in his stomach from Friday night was back in full force and this time, he couldn't blame it on food.

* * *

When he walked into Glee practice, the first thing Kurt noticed was Puck sitting back in the corner, strumming his guitar and staring out the window.

_Poor Gorgeous, Beautiful Hunk of Man Meat…he looks so sad._

Stepping tentatively up to him, Kurt cleared his throat. Puck looked up at him.

"Sup?"

"Not much…what's going on with you?"

"Nuthin'… just strummin'…."

Kurt cleared his throat. "Well, I can't help but notice that you look troubled."

Puck shook his head. "No, man, I'm okay. "

Kurt knew he was lying. "Okay then…"

Just then, Rachel walked into the room. Kurt watched Puck's eyes darken and become impenetrable as whatever thoughts he had became completely blocked from probing by the outside world. As Rachel took a seat farthest from Puck, he slowly looked back down at his guitar.

_Damn,_ thought Kurt, _this is more complicated than I thought._

Unable to resist, Kurt leaned down close to Puck's ear and said, "It's not too late to fix things, you know. She's very forgiving…and loving."

Kurt then spun on his heel and flounced away, leaving Puck staring curiously after him.

* * *

After school, Puck went over to Stacey's house. She was exceptionally whiny, complaining of a "throbbing headache that makes me simply want to die." Puck did his best to appear sympathetic but it wasn't working. He was unable to focus on her self-pity because he had a pretty impressive dose of his own going on. He needed to repair his relationship with Rachel. He _had_ to.

As he sat on the couch, his arm around Stacey and her head resting against the crook, he said, "Look…I know you don't like Rachel but I miss her. She was my best friend before we started dating. I need to get our friendship back."

Stacey started to protest but Puck put up his hand. "I'm not asking, Stacey. I'm telling you. If you want to be with me, you have to accept the fact that Rachel is part of my life. And once you get to know her, you will see how amazing she is."

Stacey sighed. She knew it would come to this. She knew she shouldn't have let it slip that Rachel was in love with him. But she wasn't giving up Puck…_aww hell no. _

"Fine," she said with forced sweetness. "I'll try to be her friend. I still don't trust her."

"I don't care if you trust her or not. But you have to respect her if I choose to have her in my life. And that _is_ what I'm choosing."

Stacey cuddled deeper into Puck's embrace. "I want you to be happy, baby. You just say the word and I'll do it."

Puck hugged her and said, "Thanks…I don't think you'll regret giving Rachel a chance."

Sitting there quietly, Stacey knew instantly that he was wrong. She knew she would regret this. But Puck was worth fighting for so if she needed to put up with a 5-foot loud-mouthed annoying diva in order to keep him around, that is _exactly_ what she would do.

* * *

As he left Stacey's house, Puck felt much better. He needed to patch up this relationship with Rachel. Her friendship had been so vital to him….he couldn't believe it had basically dissolved – and all thanks to him. The guilt threatened to eat at him but he pushed it away with positive thoughts. He was going to get her back into his life.

Walking into his house, he headed immediately to his mother's bedroom. She was sitting at her desk, reading a book.

He rapped on the doorframe and then came in. Sitting down on the bed, he said, "Ma…I really need your advice."

Dinah stood up and walked over to him, sitting down in front of him on the bed. "What's up, baby?" She patted him on his Mohawk and he pushed her hand away, screwing up his face in annoyance. He hated when she treated him like a two-year old.

"I want Rachel and Stacey to become friends. I think that if they do, Rachel will start coming around again."

Dinah stared at the dark, troubled eyes of her firstborn. She could see the turmoil within those eyes and wondered what else he wasn't telling her.

"Well…how do you propose you make them become friends?"

Puck shook his head. "I don't know….that's why I'm in here asking you."

"Hmm…" Dinah stared at Puck and he stared back at her.

Finally, she spoke. "Have you thought about a double date?"

Puck blinked. Getting Rachel and Stacey to both go out on a double date? That was either his mother's most brilliant idea ever or it was the single stupidest suggestion to ever come out of her big mouth. He really couldn't tell which at this point but was almost desperate enough to try anything.

"Hmm…a double date…."

Dinah offered an explanation. "Well honey, if you get the two girls together, and you and Adam get together, you will all be able to talk about shared interests. Then Stacey and Rachel may discover that they actually have some things in common, just as you and Adam might. It's a really great way to help build a friendship between the four of you."

Puck took in his mother's words. "Let me think about it…. That may be it, Ma! Thanks!"

Puck kissed his mother on the cheek and vaulted his body off the bed. Dinah watched her son leave the room and smiled at his retreating frame. A double date would force him to deal with his feelings for Rachel, she knew. She seriously doubted that sweet Rachel would have anything in common with that pit-viper Stacey but it was the only way she could guarantee that her handsome, stupid son would be unequivocally forced to deal with whatever was raging inside that mind of his. Watching Rachel flirt with another boy would definitely help him "see the light", so to speak. And if things went _really_ well, maybe Stacey would show her true colors. And from what Dinah could tell, those colors weren't very pretty.

Dinah exhaled as she stood up and walked back to her desk to continue her reading. She hoped this was all over soon. She missed Rachel nearly as much as Noah did.

Heading to his bedroom, Puck took the steps up to his room two at a time. He was going to see if Stacey was willing to go on this double date. If she was, he was sure he could get Rachel and Dumbass to agree. The four of them could actually become friends and maybe, just maybe, he could get his Rachel back.

His felt chest lighter that night as he slipped into bed. Things were going to be okay, he could tell. He would be able to keep both Rachel and Stacey in his life. It would work.

He fell asleep smiling, believing everything was about to finally start making sense again….

….until 3am when he shot awake with a massive, painful hard-on. Rachel had been giving him a blowjob this time.

_Shit shit SHIT._


	10. Like A Ton of Bricks

**Author's note: So yeah, I love this chapter. I love it SO much, and I love my dedicated readers so much, that I'm not waiting to post it. I won't be posting ANYTHING else today, I promise….but I just love this chapter too much to wait……**

* * *

Rachel exhaled deeply. She was _almost_ sure that she was about to have a panic attack. Reaching out, she grabbed Kurt's arm to steady herself. He just turned toward her and laughed.

"Are we having problems, Rachel darling?"

They were in her room on Friday before the (dreaded) double date between Noah, Stacey, Adam, and herself. She couldn't even remember why she'd agreed to go. As she sat there, the time until Adam arrived ticking every closer, she considered asking Kurt to have her committed quickly to a reputable mental institution that could assist her due to her obvious decent into madness.

Looking up at her fashion advisor, she asked, "Kurt, why am I doing this again?"

Kurt patted on her cute, stupid little head and said, "Because, Rachel, this is a great effort in unity."

She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. Kurt laughed. "Oh fine, it's so you can look really hot, hang all over your boyfriend like he's the best thing since the latest Prada bag, and piss that sexy brute off enough that he tosses his water-loving harlot through a window, takes you into his arms, and kisses you passionately."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "That is not the point of this, Kurt, and you know it. Noah said himself that our friendship has gotten off track and he wants us to fix it. He thinks it's a great idea for all of us together." Replaying Noah's words in her head, Rachel felt instantly better. Bolstered by that thought, she stood up. "I want Noah back in my life. If this is what has to happen in order to get him there, that's what I'll do."

"But you don't just want him in your life, Rachel…" Leave it to Kurt to bring her back to reality.

"If you're trying to tell me that I'm a horrible girlfriend to Adam, I already know it. I can't help how I feel. I like Adam, I do…."

"But he's not Puck."

Rachel dropped her eyes to the floor. "No…and he never will be."

Wanting to lighten the mood, Kurt walked over to her, put his hands on her shoulders, and said, "So that is why you're going to look gorgeous tonight. I didn't have time to go to the mall but I did have time to stop by Brittany's house. Her closet is the size of my basement so I picked out some things for you to chose from to wear. Considering Brittany only ever wears a cheerleading uniform, I was floored she offered the use of her wardrobe. Actually, I was floored that she had a wardrobe."

Kurt began rifling through the stack of clothing on Rachel's bed.

"Now, we don't want you to appear as seductive as you did the other night. We all know how that date turned out…" Kurt laughed, thinking of Rachel's Sunday morning phone call where she ranted for 40 minutes about that "Mohawked Miscreant" who ruined her date.

Turning towards Kurt, he eyed her like she was a paper doll needing proper covering. "I think, since you are all going to dinner and then going out to the Putt-Putt place, that you need to be casual but alluring." He looked at the clothing, now spread out on the bed. "And you can accomplish that with THESE!"

He pulled out a pair of form-fitting jeans (which actually belonged to Rachel. Kurt nearly died when he discovered them in her closet, hidden amongst clothing similar to his Great Aunt Mildred's.) Grabbing a black, fitted, button down top, he said, "Now, Rachel, the key to this look is to wear some of that lingerie I know you're hiding underneath this shirt. Because of the plunging neckline, a few glimpses of lace won't do Adam – or Puck, for that matter – any harm whatsoever." Pleased with his clothing choices, he turned toward Rachel. "Now, show me your sluttiest bra."

Once Rachel was dressed, Kurt stood back and eyed his handiwork. "I am just so good," he complimented himself. Rachel was wearing black, heeled boots beneath her jeans. The black top clung to her breasts and just as Puck had imagined, some purple lace from her bra (which was skankier than anything he had imagined Rachel would ever own) was peeking from beneath the open neckline.

"He is going to die…." Kurt breathed.

"Which one?"

"Both…."

Rachel smiled. Her hair swept back and pinned in place atop her head again, her long, graceful neck was exposed. She did look pretty hot.

"Kurt, when I'm famous, will you promise to be my personal stylist?"

He bent to kiss her cheek. "If you can afford my services, you bet."

Rachel stood and faced him. She took a deep breath. Adam would be there in 15 minutes.

"Well, darling, I need to get out of here before Not-So-Hot takes you to meet up with So-Hot-He-Smokes. Just remember, flirt with Adam and ignore Puck as much as possible. His raging, uncontrollable, lust-driven hormones will probably do the rest…" Kurt fanned himself at the thought.

"And what about Stacey?"

"Well, you know how on "The Ghost Whisperer" Jennifer Love Hewitt's character pretends that there _isn't_ a spirit in the room when a living person is around?"

Rachel nodded, having watched that show many times.

"Well, do that. Pretend Stacey's dead….and don't pay her any attention. Just like the fabulous Jennifer, you'll be uncomfortable, but it's a necessity."

Rachel laughed and hugged Kurt as he left. Closing the door, she hoped and prayed that this night would go much better than she anticipated.

* * *

As Puck and Stacey took at seat in the restaurant, Stacey wanted to stab herself. _God! The things I will do for this guy!_ After Puck's stern talk with her on Tuesday, she knew she had to agree to this evening or he would dump her. So here she was, clinging to his side as they waited for Puck's socially inept "friend" and her mouth-breathing boyfriend to arrive. She hoped that they arrived fast, ate even faster, played the fastest round of putt-putt golf of their lives, and then left them the hell alone. Stacey was breaking her 12-date rule tonight. She'd been out with Puck nine times already. It was close enough, she decided. And if she was going to keep him around, she needed to "seal the deal." Since her parents were gone this weekend, after the date was over, she was inviting Puck inside. She knew that _this_ would definitely keep him around.

Stacey felt Puck's body go slightly rigid next to her and knew, without even looking up, that Rachel and Adam had arrived. As they headed toward the table, Stacey whispered in Puck's ear, "Mom and Dad are out of town this weekend. Once we're alone tonight….well….I just hope you brought condoms." With a sly smile, she looked down. She could feel Puck's eyes burning into her.

When Adam and Rachel arrived at the table, Puck was looking at Stacey with wide eyes. Adam slid into the booth and moved closest to the window. Rachel slid in by him, across from Noah. Turning toward them, Puck acknowledged Adam with an awkward fist bump. (Rachel could tell that it was Adam's first-ever fist bump and she was forced to giggle.) Her laughter caused Puck's gaze to shift to her. She looked gorgeous, with her hair piled up atop her head. Her eyes sparkled as she felt his gaze on her. She nodded to him and he nodded back.

"So….what should we all eat?" Rachel asked nervously, eyeing the menu.

"Um…hamburger….all the way," Puck said, glancing at the menu and then closing it.

"How 'bout you, Stace?" he asked, nudging her.

"I think I'll do chicken…."

"Oh, me too…sounds great," added Adam.

Puck's eyes automatically shifted back to Rachel. She looked up at him and their eyes locked. He tried to look away but couldn't. Finally, he said, "And you, Rach?"

"Oh, a hamburger…absolutely."

And then they were officially, 100% completely out of things to talk about.

Rachel, pealing her eyes away from the intoxicating hold of his hazel eyes, glanced around the table. Stacey was staring up at Puck like he was Zac Efron coated in chocolate. Puck was glancing at his fingers, apparently engrossed in the hair on his knuckles. Adam was shifting in his seat from his left butt cheek to his right and then back again. And Rachel? She just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Seriously just die and forget any of this ever happened.

When the silence at the table couldn't possibly be any more deafening, the waitress walked up to take their order. Her voice was so loud in the quiet of their table that Adam literally jumped when she said, "So what are ya'll havin' tonight?

Each order was placed, thankful bringing some noise and life to the still table. As soon as the waitress meandered away, Rachel excused herself to go to the restroom and wash her hands.

She was waiting for the water to get hot when the bathroom door opened and she knew instantly that Stacey was gracing her with another bathroom chat.

Stacey sidled up to Rachel at the next sink and turned on the water.

"So Puck wants us to be friends, right?" She asked, checking her eyelashes in the mirror.

"That's the plan…." Rachel said carefully.

"Well, since you're my new friend, you'll be the first to know that after this date is over tonight, Puck and I are taking our relationship to the next level. My parents are out of town this weekend. And considering you're in love with Noah Puckerman, too, you know exactly how hard it is to control yourself around him."

Stacey smiled at herself in the mirror. She could see the watery, pained look in Rachel's eyes as she spoke.

Turning to face Rachel, she continued, "And since we're friends now, I'll be sure to give you all the toe-curling details on Monday." Stacey then turned and sauntered back out the way she had come in.

Rachel was nearly knocked down by the instant, painful cold feeling that crept across her skin. She suddenly couldn't see…her eyes filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks.

Stacey's cold, calculating words replayed through her mind. _Noah is going to sleep with her tonight. They're going to have sex…._ She ran into a stall and grabbed some tissue paper to wipe her eyes. She closed the stall door and leaned against it. Her chest heaved silently as the idea of Stacey's words solidified in her mind. Sniffling loudly, she worked to get control of her emotions. She had to think about Adam….

She stepped back out of the stall and went to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were now red-rimmed but there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She only hoped that he didn't notice. He being Noah….

As she stepped out to head back to the table, the words from the song that described her life floated through her mind…  
_Blithe smile, lithe limb_

_She who's winsome, she wins him_

_Gold hair, with a gentle curl_

_That's the girl he chose_

_And heaven knows_

_I'm not that girl_

The lyrics, sung so painfully by Elphaba, had never seemed so real to Rachel than at that moment. She was going to go back out there and dedicate herself to Adam. She was with him now…. Noah was with Stacey. That was never more obvious.

Puck watched Rachel return from the bathroom. She had been in there forever. He had asked Stacey if Rachel had fallen in and Stacey just shrugged. As she drew closer, his eyes were instantly pulled to hers. She had been crying. _Why?_ His stomach started that now-familiar ache as he looked at her. She slid back into her seat and leaned in close to Adam, who wrapped his arm around her shoulder. _Why was she crying? What the hell happened? _Laying her head on his shoulder, Puck watched Rachel look over at Stacey, down at the table, over at the saltshaker, down at the cup that was now sweating – everywhere but at him.

_Look at me._ He was practically willing her now. There was a despiration in his gaze that he even realized was there. But he couldn't help it and at that moment, he really didn't care.

_Please, just look at me. _

But she wouldn't.

She couldn't.

For the next hour, he told funny stories and jokes and the conversation actually flowed at the table. Rachel and Stacey even chatted a bit about the debate team. But Rachel never once met his eyes. He didn't understand it.

_What happened? Why is she being like this?_

Puck's insides were screaming. This night was backfiring. Things were supposed to be going back to normal. That was the entire point of this entire fucking evening. But instead, he literally could feel her pull farther away…deeper into Adam's much less impressive arms.

Halfway through his third glass of Coke and an hour into Rachel's treating him like he was invisible, as dishes were being cleared away and conversations were wrapping up so that they could head over for a lighthearted game of putt-putt golf, Puck suddenly felt sick. He excused himself and took the same path to the bathroom that Rachel and Stacey had taken before.

Walking into the empty room, his fist immediately met the metal door of the stall. Always having been an aggressive guy, he wanted to destroy something at that moment. Steadying himself, he leaned against the nearest wall and stared directly at the paper towel dispenser, even though he never actually saw it.

_Why is she ignoring me? What happened tonight? Doesn't she know how much I need her? Doesn't she see how much I love her?_

_Wait? What?_

_What the fuck?_

_Love her?_

_Uh……_

_Shit._

_I am in love with Rachel._

_Holy fuck._

_I am in fucking love with Rachel fucking Berry._

_Fuck._

_Fuck._

_FUCK._

Puck slid to the floor, pulled his knees up, and put his head in his hands. What in the hell was he going to do now?


	11. Oh What a Night

**Author's Note: Yeah – I'm a liar. I'm posting this today too. Three updates in one day, people! Ya'll were practically begging for it and I'm a sucker for making people happy. Just remember all these updates when this story is over quicker than I intended and I don't have anything else to update (until I start a new story, that is!)**

**I will be out of town tomorrow (which is part of the reason I'm posting this now), so don't expect the next chapter until tomorrow evening at the earliest. **

**And I continue to say thanks for the reviews! They make me happy. I'm SO glad you are all enjoying this story. I'm sad that I have to resolve it eventually. But we're not there yet – so read on!**

* * *

Stacey glanced down at her cell phone for the time. Puck had been in the bathroom for 12 minutes.

"Um…Adam. Would you mind going in to see if Puck's okay? He looked a little green. I'm afraid he's sick," Stacey said nervously. The three of them got out of the booth and walked toward the bathroom hallway. Stacey and Rachel stood back silently as Adam pushed the door open.

Stepping inside the brightly lit room, he was taken aback to see Puck sitting on the floor, head in his hands.

He cleared his throat. "Uhh…hey man….you okay?"

Puck looked up and instantly felt the urge to punch the guy. Realizing that he was doing a good deed and not in there to rub it in his face that he was with Rachel, Puck got control of his emotions.

"Yeah, dude. I just started feeling pretty sick. I'm….I'm trying to settle my stomach."

"Okay, cool. The girls were getting worried."

"Sorry. Tell them I'll be out in just a minute."

Adam nodded, turned, and left.

Puck forced himself up off the floor. Realizing he probably had guy juice all over his hands, he quickly washed and dried them. Then it was time for a pep talk:

_Okay, Puckerman. You go out there and have a good time. You will figure out what to do. Remember, you are a stud. You are badass. Women love you. Just because you happen to secretly be in love with Rachel doesn't change anything. _

Cocking an eyebrow at himself, he gave his reflection a grin and sauntered back through the door.

Stacey ran to him and he put an arm around her. Looking over, he saw Rachel was staring at the floor with Adam standing behind her, his arms around her.

_Fuck. She is so beautiful._

His urge to punch that guy came rushing back. He was entirely too touchy-feely and if his hands were any closer to Rachel's breasts, he'd be palming them.

_That's my job, you prick. _

Looking away, he turned to Stacey and attempted to focus his attention on her. Inexplicably, she looked incredibly _less_ hot than she had when he'd picked her up earlier that night. Her hair was too light and her nose was too small. And she didn't seem to talk enough.

"We ready to go?" he asked the group as casually as he could muster, considering he was a raging ball of emotions internally. They all nodded in the affirmative and Puck led them out the doors and into the night.

* * *

Rachel just wanted to go home. She wanted this night to be over with. And then it hit her: the quicker the night was over, the faster Noah would be in Stacey's bed. Tears came to her eyes again and she brushed them away as she climbed into Adam's car. She didn't know how she was going to survive this disastrous night.

Rachel was quiet on the 15-minute drive over to the putt-putt golf facility. Adam noticed.

"Is something wrong, Rachel?"

She ceased staring out the window and smiled over at him.

"No, Adam. I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling well."

"Geesh, this is turning out to be a rotten night. First Puck feeling sick and now you…. You think you were food-poisoned?"

"No…I think…I think it's just heartburn." _Heart-breaking-burn._

They were quite for a moment and then Adam cleared his throat.

"Rachel….I know it's last-minute but our school is having a dance next Saturday night. I would love it if you would be my date."

Rachel closed her eyes. _This_ was the type of relationship she had always wanted. She put her hand over Adam's on the gearshift and smiled into his eyes. "I would love to go, Adam. Thank you for asking me."

* * *

Once they arrived at the golf course, Rachel and Adam met up again with Puck and Stacey. As they walked into the facility, Puck held the door open. Again, Rachel looked away as she approached him. He was really starting to get seriously pissed. _What the fuck did I do?_ He was tempted to pick her up, tuck her under his arm, and relieve her of her virginity in the front seat of his truck. _THAT would make her look me in the fucking eyes_. And he could probably be done so fast that Stacey and Adam would never notice they were gone, he thought dryly. _Damn sex dreams._

Puck and Adam paid their admission, got their clubs, and rejoined the girls, who were decidedly ignoring each other in a corner of the building. Occasionally, Rachel could see Stacey glance over at her and smirk. Rachel was tempted to grab her dry, over-processed hair and wrap it around her neck. _Stupid slut._

Of course, if Rachel was honest with herself and SHE were dating Puck, she'd probably be planning a similar evening. But _she_ loved him and Stacey didn't. Puck was probably one of dozens of boys who had plundered the Hallowed Holes of Stacey Anderson. Rachel was still a stupid, boring virgin in love with a guy who had slept with enough women to fill a New York city block. Focusing on Adam, she eyed his backside, trying to see if the sight sent that warm burn between her thighs that every single part about Noah, from the moles along his shoulders to his eyelashes, caused her to feel. Nope…looking at his behind, all she could muster was _his pants are too baggy. And his belt is tacky._ Groaning, she wondered if this stupid, horrible night would ever be over. There was a tub of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey and a fresh box of Kleenex waiting on her. And she knew Kurt would be dying for an update.

Clubs in hand, Adam approached Rachel and she smiled up at him, linking her arm through hers. Together, they walked out toward the start of the course.

Behind them, Puck watched the interaction. _What a douche._

They started to play and Puck soon remembered exactly how bad Rachel really was at this. She grew more and more frustrated as her balls either ricocheted across the course or didn't move at all because her club hadn't actually made contact. He noticed her fists were tightly balled – never a good sign. In the old days, he would have walked up behind her and squeezed her right where her shoulder and her neck met. That always calmed her down. Instead, he did nothing.

Standing back, he watched Stacey take her turn. Puck appreciated the view of her backside for a moment until he saw a flash of brown hair out of the corner of his eyes.

_Dammit. I can't even lust in peace_.

Watching Stacey hit the ball into the hole and then do a sexy little hip swivel with her eyes on Puck, he admitted that she did entertain him. And she was dangling the sex card in front of him tonight. Looking over at Rachel, his heart thumped. _Why didn't I realize that I loved her? Am I so blinded by pussy that I ignore the best thing thing that's ever happen to me? That I ignore the one person who believed in me when the rest of the world thought I was nothing more than an asshole?_

At that moment, Puck wished that the entire scene in front of him could fade away like they do in the movies. Then he could walk up to Rachel, take her in his arms, tell her that she was going home with him, and they'd leave. When the scene came back into focus, Stacey and Adam could stare stupidly at one another, suddenly decide that they were soul mates, and go have sex somewhere. Talk about an awesomely easy resolution to this whole big fuckball he'd created. Instead, he had to figure out if he was going to go through with the Stacey thing when all he could think was _Rachel Rachel Rachel Rachel._

_When did my life start sucking so badly?_

The putt-putt game ended with little fanfare. Rachel and Stacey hadn't spoken. Rachel wasn't speaking to Puck. Puck and Adam spoke in grunts to one another, and Stacey only spoke to Adam when she was forced (i.e. "You're standing on my foot. Move.") The whole thing was a big huge fiasco. Puck was both pissed and relieved. Pissed because Rachel still wasn't really back in his life. She still had a boyfriend. Their friendship was still basically gone. But he was relieved because….well….he didn't WANT Rachel and Stacey to be friends now. Talk about disgustingly weird…the girl he's dating and the girl he loves frolicking and hanging out together? While that may be a great fantasy to add to his spank bank, the reality of it was just shit. They needed to hate each other.

Puck and Adam went to turn in their clubs. When he came back, he looked to his left and saw that Stacey was distracted, talking to one of her friends. Over by the fence, Adam was on his cell phone. Rachel was disappearing away from the crowd, obviously heading towards the bathroom. Before he even knew his feet were moving, he was following her. She walked around a shed that stood between her and the bathroom building and he slipped behind her, a few steps behind. Just as she was nearing the edge of the shadows, he caught up with her.

"Rachel," he said as he grabbed her arm.

She spun to face him. Their eyes locked for the first time in hours. Puck looked behind his shoulder again. Then, he used his knees to back Rachel up against the storage shed. Her eyes grew wide, a mixture of fear and curiosity filling her intense gaze.

"Puck? What are you doing?" She looked up into his eyes and he smirked.

"Noah," he corrected, pushing her harder against the shed as his hands went to her hair.

"Wh…what?"

His hands slid behind her head. "My name is Noah, dammit. Don't call me Puck anymore. And in the future, don't ignore me either. It's pissing me off."

She nodded, confusion evident.

For a breathless moment, neither one of them moved. Rachel, deciding that this whole thing was entirely too uncomfortable and heartbreaking, began to extract herself from his grasp. She tried to move, which caused her legs to rub against his groin. Her eyes widened, able to feel the hardness that stretched against his jeans. He groaned, his eyes flashing dark desire. A split second later, he whispered, "fuck it," and crushed his lips to hers. Fireworks exploded behind Rachel's eyes. Her arms instinctively went around him and he took the closeness as a hint to deepen the kiss. His tongue nudged her lips open and connected with her tongue.

Puck pulled away, running a string of kisses across her jaw and down onto her collarbone. Rachel shivered, lifting her head to give him better access. He took his lips further, running them along the edge of her shirt where the neckline plunged into her cleavage. As his lips danced across the edges her breasts that were peeking out from beneath her bra, she audibly groaned, her knees weakened by the hot, pounding desire that coursed through her body and settled between her thighs. He dropped his hands to hers, which were now hanging by her sides and intertwined their hands, linking their bodies together in the only way he could in this very public place with their significant others just feet away.

"What…..what are…?" Rachel tried to ask.

Not wanting to have to answer any questions tonight, mainly because he didn't know what the hell he would say, he shut her up by sliding his lips back up across her neck, up her chin, and then locked his lips to hers again.

Heat filled every available inch of Rachel's body. Pulling back, Puck pressed his forehead to Rachel's and stared into her brown eyes for a moment. Then he kissed the tip of her nose so gently that his lips barely grazed it. She closed her eyes, euphoria making her head light. When she opened her eyes a few seconds later, he was gone.

Rachel stared after him, absolutely numb. She slowly walked out from behind the shed. Adam spotted her and headed over. Just then, Puck and Stacey turned and waved to Rachel and Adam and left through the gate. Rachel could only follow Adam blindly as he led her toward the parking lot. _What in the world just happened?_

* * *

As Puck pulled up to Stacey's house, he was faced with a decision that he suddenly realized wasn't really that difficult. Stacey slid out of the truck and turned to discover Puck was still sitting in the driver's seat with the engine running.

"You're coming in, right? Remember what I said earlier?" She batted her eyes seductively. Puck just snorted.

"What?" She snapped.

"I need to head home, Stacey."

She slid back into the truck, leaving the door open. "But Puck, I don't understand. I thought you wanted this?" She pressed her body against his, lifting his hand up to cup her breast through her shirt.

He pulled his hand back quickly and then roughly skimmed his hand through his narrow strip of hair. "I do…I mean, I did. I…I just can't, Stacey."

Stacey started to cry. "It's _her_, isn't it?"

Puck didn't need to ask whom she meant. But he wasn't about to divulge any information to Stacey either. "No, Stace, this is about me. I just can't do this right now. I'm sorry."

She turned on him, fangs out. "That's fine. I didn't want your loser ass anyway."

Puck snorted. "Uh huh, sure."

"No, seriously. Why would I fuck you when all you really want to do is crawl in between the thighs of a social pariah?" She turned and met his eyes. "Your reputation and the real you are total bullshit, you know that?"

"Stacey, I don't give a fuck about my reputation. The bottom line is this: We're not doing this tonight."

She jumped out of the truck, grabbing the frame of the door and then turned back to glare at him. "You know what, you asshole? We're done. We are SO FUCKING DONE. I will not play second fiddle to that bitch anymore."

Puck had taken about the last insult against Rachel that he could. "Stacey? You know how you wanted to fuck tonight? Well, how 'bout you go fuck yourself."

She growled, sounding possessed, and slammed the truck door.

"I hate you, Noah Puckerman," she screamed as his foot hit the gas. His only response was a middle finger out the window.

Driving away, Puck's face was one huge grin. He felt so relieved. Sure, he should probably be sad because he had just passed up an opportunity for an all-night screw-fest. But he wasn't. He loved Rachel. Now he had to get her back. And this time around, he wasn't settling for "friends." That wasn't something he wanted with Rachel anymore. But thanks to that kiss, he hoped that she considered "just friends" off the table too. The bottom line: He needed her. He loved her. Now he had to figure out a way to make her love him, too.


	12. Planning

**Author's Note: I have had insomnia all week…. Last night was no exception. I've been up for hours. So this is a "teaser" chapter because it's kinda short without any P/R action. I'm leaving to go out of town in a few hours but I'll be back this evening. I will HOPEFULLY have the next chapter written tonight but I can't promise anything. Lack of sleep is finally getting to me. And I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to solve this whole mess that my Puck has created.**

* * *

Puck unlocked the door to his house and slipped inside, trying to be quiet because he knew that Leah was asleep. The house was dark except for one light softly glowing in the living room. He headed toward that light, knowing that's where he would find his mom.

Dinah looked up when she entered the room. "Honey, you're home early. How'd it go?"

Puck laughed out loud and flopped down on the couch next to his mother. Propping his feet up on the coffee table, he closed his eyes. "I think the word "fiasco" doesn't even begin to describe it but it's as close as I can get."

Dinah smiled. _Perfect. _"So…what happened?"

"Where do I begin? Oh yeah….so I started the night with a hot girlfriend and ended it without one."

Dinah did a mental back flip. She was glad that trollop was gone.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry."

Puck looked at her. "I'm not. It's for the best. I….I…. It's just better this way."

He rolled his head back away from his mom and closed his eyes again.

"Noah, what is it?"

Looking away from her, he said, "Ma….do you think it's possible to, like, be friends with someone and then realize you loved them but maybe you actually loved them all along and didn't know it?"

_Rachel. So we're finally back to her, _thought Dinah.

"Well, sweetie, I think it's very possible. If a person is your friend and you care about her, you may mistake your feelings of love for friendship. It can happen."

"So…what do I do about it now?"

Dinah was silent for a moment, hoping her son would provide her with a little more detail about the situation. In typical male fashion, he didn't say another word.

She poked him in the side and he jumped.

"What?"

"Are you going to tell me how you left on a date with Stacey and came home in love with Rachel? I'd really like to know!"

Puck grinned at her sheepishly. "I don't know, Ma. We were out and Rachel went to the bathroom and when she came back, like a half-hour later it seemed, she had been crying. And she wouldn't look at me. I couldn't get her to look at me. And it just drove me insane and that's when it hit me: I love that girl."

"Why wouldn't she look at you?"

"I still don't know. And then we all went to the putt-putt golf thing and she still ignored me. So I got pissed and kissed her."

Dinah's hand flew to her face, covering her mouth and trying to stifle a laugh. _Oh, the messes he gets himself into._

"And how did that go over with Adam?"

"Oh, that dork was over talking on his phone. I didn't kiss her in front of Stacey and Adam, Ma. I'm not stupid. But now I don't know what to do. She has a boyfriend…" Realizing that he was only in this mess due to his mother, he turned and glared at her. "She has a boyfriend THANKS TO YOU!"

Dinah put her hand on his arm. "Baby, you had a girlfriend….Rachel needs to be happy, too. And how'd you end up breaking up with Stacey?"

"She tried to sleep with me."

Staring dumbfounded at her son, Dinah could only gape. "Honey…don't take this the wrong way but isn't that what you want? I know you aren't an innocent little angel. Um…you do have a baby on the way."

Puck glared at his mother. "I realize that I've been….free with…. Well….. Dammit, I'm hot! But tonight, I just couldn't do it. How could I sleep with her, even though she was offering, when I had just kissed Rachel? It was just too much. So Stacey got mad, called me all kinds of names, and I left. She's….she's kind of a bitch."

"Don't I know it," Dinah muttered under her breath.

Puck was silent for a moment.

"So what do I do now, Ma? I want Rachel. Rachel's taken."

Dinah had been waiting for this conversation. "Well, sweetie, I think you need to prove yourself to her. You did kind of shove her aside for that tramp, remember?"

Her words cut right to his heart. But she was right.

"I know. And she seems happy enough with the guy, even if he is a douchebag. But that kiss, Ma….that kiss was….."

"Fireworks?" Dinah offered.

"Yeah."

"Sweetie, I think you're just going to have to prove to Rachel that you want to be her friend again, as well as much more. I THINK you'll find she's open to it."

Dinah wanted to just look her son square in the eye and tell him that Rachel was in love with him. But he needed to figure this out for himself. He had created this mess by not seeing what was right in front of him. He had to get himself out of it.

Dinah stood, kissing him on the top of his head. "I'm going to bed, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning."

Puck squeezed her hand. She shut off the light and walked out of the room, leaving Puck staring into the darkness. He remained that way for a while until he eventually fell asleep.

* * *

"So, then, he just, like, presses you up against a shed and kisses you?" Kurt is standing over Rachel's bed, looking down at a still-under-the-covers Rachel. She had sent him a text message before bed last night that said:

_Major developments. You must visit in morning._

Kurt, always a fan of gossip, decided to show up bright and early. So early, in fact, that Rachel was still asleep when he got there. He poked her awake and made her start spilling the beans.

Rachel pushed herself up from beneath her blankets. "Yes, Kurt…it was so…surreal."

"God, that's hot," Kurt said wistfully. Then he looked down at Rachel. "And….?" he prodded.

Rachel sighed dreamily. "And amazing."

Kurt jumped on the bed. "This is fabulous!"

Rachel grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her face. "No, this is horrible! I have a boyfriend. He has a girlfriend."

"Minor inconveniences now, sweetheart."

Rachel laughed. "You've seen Stacey, right? That girl is evil."

Kurt watched Rachel's face change. "What's wrong?"

Sighing, Rachel began to recount the experience with Stacey in the bathroom and her plans to have sex with Puck that night.

"Do you think he did it?" Rachel looked at Kurt with pain in her eyes.

Kurt scooted directly next to her, patting her hand. "My gut says no. He is a lot of things but a _total_ ass isn't one of them. Well, he is actually a total ass, but not to you. I don't think he would kiss you and then sleep with her."

Rachel leaned her head against Kurt's shoulder. "Thanks, Kurty."

"Of course, dear. So now, we have to figure out how to most easily dump Adam."

"Who says I want dump Adam?"

Kurt pushed himself off the bed. "Rachel, darling, I have listened to you whine and cry and complain and sing over that Muscle-bound Beefcake for months now. Do you honestly think that, now that you might have a chance with him, you're going to let it slip by?"

Rachel flopped back on the bed. "I don't know what to do! I agreed to go to the dance with Adam on Saturday and I can't very well cancel on him, can I?" Rachel stopped speaking but started before Kurt could offer his opinion. "Wait, don't answer that…. No, I can't! I'm too nice to do that to him."

"What matters more? Being nice or finding yourself in the freakishly muscular arms of Puck?"

Rachel bit her lip. "That's actually not a very hard question to answer, Kurt. But as long as Noah has Stacey, none of this really matters, does it?"

* * *

Monday morning at school, Rachel was prepping herself for another mentally-confusing. She opened her locker and began pulling books out, preparing to head to first period. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an unfamiliar object taped to her locker door. It was a note, written on orange paper:

_R-_

_Stacey's history. Sent her packing Saturday night. Thought you should know._

_-N_

Rachel couldn't help the huge grin that appeared on her face. Her heart pounded at the thought that hey kissed her and then broke up with Stacey? _Oh no….things just got decidedly more complicated. Adam. Adam. Adam is your boyfriend. _

Just then, like something right out of one of those awful teenage romance movies, Stacey came sidling up to Rachel's locker. Standing on the other side of the door, she couldn't see the note hanging inside.

"Hey, _friend,_" sneered Stacey.

"Hello, Stacey," Rachel said sweetly.

"I promised you the details so here they are: it was amazing. It was fabulous. He spent the night Saturday and we did it most of the day Sunday too. It HURTS to walk because of how good he gave it to me."

Stacey watched and as she spoke, Rachel's smile only grew larger.

_What? This isn't working._

Rachel looked Stacey in the eye.

"Are you finished?"

"I suppose. Why?"

"C'mere…." Rachel crooked her finger at Stacey, motioning for her to step around the locker door. Once she was in position, Rachel pointed at the note. "Here. You _can_ read, right?"

Stacey's eyes grazed over the note and then she turned to Rachel and growled. Slamming the locker door, she screamed, "I HATE NOAH PUCKERMAN!" and then stormed down the hall.

Rachel called, "Bye, Stacey! Take care!" behind her and watched her disappear into the crowd, giggling quietly the entire time.

_I hope that's the last of her!_

* * *

Kurt was walking down the hall, heading to first period when he felt a hand on his arm. Pulled into a darkened classroom, he looked indignant as he met Puck's eyes.

"Um…Puck…. Is this real or is this one of my fantasies?"

"Shut up, Kurt," Puck said, punching him in the arm.

"Yep, it's real. So what do I owe this honor?"

Puck sat down on the top of the desk.

"I need your help," he said simply.

"With?"

"Rachel."

Kurt smiled. This poor boy obviously had brains everywhere but in his head.

"What about Rachel?"

"I need….I need to win her over. I kinda screwed things up but I want to fix it. I want to get her back."

"Get her back? You never _had _her."

"No….yes…" Puck sighed. "Just listen, okay?"

Kurt nodded.

"We were friends, right? Well, I screwed that up royally when I picked Stacey over her all those times. But I want to be her friend again. And actually, I'd _like_ to be her boyfriend. Do you think that's insane?" Puck looked almost sad, which Kurt found to be both adorable and incredibly sexy. _Why are the beautiful ones always straight?_

Playing cool, even though Kurt wanted to squeal like a girl and go find Rachel, he said, "No, Puck, I don't think that's insane at all."

"So can you help me?" Puck's eyes were hopeful.

"I'm sure I can offer my services."

Puck smiled and seemed to relax a little bit.

"Puck…do you mind if I get my crew involved with this? I'll have to tell them the entire sordid tale, of course, but I think that if there are more than just us working on it, it will be more effective."

"Umm…I mean, I guess that's okay."

"Wonderful. That will help. Now, the first thing you need to know is that Rachel is going to a dance at Adam's school on Saturday night."

"The fuck she is…." He responded.

"Crude," Kurt commented back, staring at his nails.

Puck and Kurt discussed plans until the bell rang. As they headed out into the halls, Puck said, "Hey Kurt…I…I kind of kissed Rachel on Saturday night."

Kurt smiled, feigning complete surprise. "Oh really? Do tell……."

As they walked away, all Kurt could think was that things were about to get really, really fun.


	13. Kurt the Puppeteer

**Author's note: Yup...this is going to take a while. Not sure how many more chapters are left now.... Kurt's involvement resulted in my having to extend this story. Yay! Had a great day visiting with the fam...sat at my grandparents' dining room table and worked on this because no one actually says much in my family. We just stare at each other. LOL.**

* * *

Kurt never imagined that trying to get two people together (who were already in love with each other anyway) would require so much planning. He barely paid attention in class that morning because he took Puck's request for help _very _seriously. During Art History, Kurt sketched out his "game plan." The cast of characters that would need to be involved, according to Kurt's careful estimation, included: Puck (of course), Tina, Artie, Mercedes, Mr. Schuester, the school janitor, and Puck's mother (whom Kurt had met at a performance once and thought was an awesome woman.) That was just his list _so far._ He knew that with his brilliance involved, it could change by 4th period.

At lunch that day, Kurt called together his "crew" and explained the whole situation to them (which caused Tina to say "awwwwwwww" and put her hand over her heart) and elaborated on Puck's hope to woo Rachel away from Adam and claim her for himself.

"Okay, we need to get this plan started TODAY. Rachel is supposed to go to the movies tonight with Adam and Puck insists that it is _not_ to happen. So we need to somehow cancel this...."

They all sat around the table, staring at one another, as they tried to figure out how, exactly, to cancel Rachel's date without actually involving Rachel.

Suddenly, Tina's eyes lit up. "I've got it!"

Leaning forward so that she could speak barely above a whisper, she explained her idea.

Kurt listened with intensity and responded, "That's brilliant. We will make this happen right after lunch!"

Just as suspected, the four of them encountered Rachel in the hallway right before the lunch period was over. She was heading into the restroom when Kurt called after her, sweetly offering to hold her backpack while she went inside. She smiled, handed it over, and went through the door.

"Okay, go NOW!" Kurt shouted at Tina, shoving the backpack in her hands.

Tina dug through Rachel's backpack and finally located her rhinestone-encrusted cell phone. Flipping it open, she located Adam's number and began furiously typing out a message.

_I can't go out tonight. Grounded._

A few seconds later, Rachel's phone buzzed with a reply.

_Crap. Why?_

"Mercedes, he wants to know why she was grounded?" Tina screeched, clearly panicking. She hadn't thought about Adam possibly questioning the reason for the cancellation.

"Give me that." Mercedes grabbed the phone and then began typing. Smiling brightly, she hit "send" and gave it back to Tina, who looked down at the reply. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.

Mercedes response was simply: _Busted smoking pot._

Tina dissolved into giggles. "Smoking pot? He's never going to believe that."

"It was the first thing I thought of." Mercedes shrugged her shoulders, then added, "He thinks the message came from Rachel. He'll believe it."

"Put the phone back! Hurry!" whispered Artie. Just as Tina was slipping the phone back into its home, Rachel stepped out from the bathroom. Thanking Kurt for babysitting her cumbersome backpack, they all parted ways. The five of them smiled slyly and laughed about the text-message exchange.

"I kind of feel bad," Artie began. "Rachel is going to think she's been stood up."

"Oh whatever, Artie," groaned Mercedes. "The end goal is Rachel and Puck, right? We gotta end this relationship for that to happen!"

Smiling to himself, Kurt looked down at his checklist and drew a line through his first item of business. Now, on to the next....

* * *

During Kurt's free period, he dialed the number that Puck had written on a scrap of paper for him. The phone rang twice and then a voice picked up.

"Hi, Mrs. Puckerman? This is Kurt Hummel, I am a friend of your son's. He gave me your number because I need to enlist your help." Kurt then explained his plan to Dinah, who clapped her hands with joy on the other end of the phone. With a promise to "do whatever you need me to so that those two crazy kids end up together," they hung up the phone. Kurt grinned again, marking off the next item on his list.

* * *

Glee practice that day was completely normal with nothing appearing out of the ordinary. Rachel still sat on the complete opposite side of the room from Puck, although he caught her watching him repeatedly (because he was watching her.) He smiled at her and watched her blush. The fact that she was looking at him today, after her inexplicable silent treatment on Saturday, made him more confident that he could win this war against Sir Adam the Tool.

As class ended, Kurt made a move to speak to Mr. Schuester. Telling Rachel, "head on out to my vehicle and I'll be right there," he turned to speak quietly with Mr. Schue. Puck wandered up to the piano to join in on the discussion since this obviously involved him, as well. Explaining the entire story to Mr. Schuester, Puck was kinda pissed that the teacher looked dumbfounded and slightly revolted.

"Really, Puck? You want to date Rachel?"

Puck just shrugged his shoulders. "She's hot," he said with intense bravado, smacking on his ever-present gum for added effect.

Kurt rolled his eyes. Puck sure did have an eloquent way of discussing his feelings.

Mr. Schue smiled knowingly, seeing through Puck's hardened exterior, and said, "Then I'm happy to help. We will start tomorrow."

Kurt marked the next item off his list and thanked Mr. Schue for his help.

Turning to Puck, he said, "So you've got the next part tonight, right? I can trust you to do this correctly? Remember, the goal tonight is to simply confuse her and cast doubt on the solidity of her present relationship with Adam."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Dude, I'm a stud. I got this!"

"Wonderful. Call me when it's done."

"Yes sir. You are running the show, you know!"

"Precisely."

The boys parted ways with a high five, which Kurt thought was exceptionally awkward and testosterone-driven but agreed to it anyway. He simply loved playing matchmaker!

* * *

Rachel sat on her couch, staring at her feet. Adam was 25 minutes late and he hadn't called. She checked her cell phone numerous times but there was nothing there. 45 minutes after Adam was scheduled to pick her up, Rachel realized that she had been stood up.

She was standing in her living room, stamping her feet in silent indignation, when her phone rang. Thinking it was Adam on the other end of the line, she dove for it.

"Hello?"

"Rachel, this is Dinah. I hate to be a trouble but can you come over and watch Leah for a few hours? I know it is a last-moment thing but Noah is out and I got called into an emergency meeting at work."

Rachel closed her eyes and wanted to reject Dinah's request but she couldn't. She was,unable to say no to Dinah. Besides, it's not like she had anything to do now, anyway....

"Sure Dinah, I'll be over in 10 minutes."

* * *

Rachel arrived at Noah's quickly. She was secretly relieved to not be home because if Adam showed up eventually, he would be greeted with a darkened house.

Walking inside, Dinah wrapped Rachel in a long, warm hug.

"I'm so glad to see you, sweetheart. Thank you for doing this. Noah should be home relatively early and then you can leave."

Dinah handed Rachel some money and headed off to her "emergency meeting at work" which was actually the latest Brad Pitt movie.

Rachel watched Dinah leave and then settled onto the couch with Leah. They were running a _Hannah Montana_ marathon on Disney and Leah was literally enthralled. Rachel stared at the TV, not really watching it. She swore she could smell Noah's cologne wafting through the house and it was torturous. She was tempted to run up the stairs and throw herself on his bed just so she could feel like she was near him. Since that kiss on Saturday, she was missing him as much as she had before she started dating Adam. And discovering that Noah had dumped Stacey was only making things worse. But when she thought with her mind and not her heart, she remembered how Noah had just left her in the dust, completely forgetting about their supposed friendship. That thought made her want to run up to his room and break something. Rachel huffed loudly. She _hated _being conflicted.

* * *

Puck was over at Kurt's, going over Kurt's amazing plan to win Rachel over once and for all. Not long after Puck got home from school, Kurt called him and told him that since school had ended for the day, the plan had gotten much more detailed, it needed to be discussed, and Puck needed to come over right away. Since he needed to be gone when Rachel arrived, he headed over to Kurt's. However, he was dying to make sure he got home in time to actually spend some time with Rachel.

Kurt exhaled heavily as Puck left. He hated to keep asking him if he understood the plan but frankly, he was kind of a Neanderthal, albeit a beautiful one. This plan had to be executed properly in order to guarantee success. He believed that Puck had this first step down so he returned to his notes, preparing for Tuesday.

As Kurt and Puck talked, Puck kept looking at his cell phone for the time.

"You're obviously pining to go see her. Just go. You've got this plan down, right?"

"I do, thanks dude! See ya!" And Puck was out the door.

* * *

In the middle of the 3rd Hannah Montana episode of the evening, Rachel heard a key in the lock. Her heart leapt with hope that it was Noah.

It was.

He walked in and Leah launched herself at him.

"Noah, do you wanna watch _Hannah Montana_ with me and Rachel?"

Puck stared into his living room, looking at Rachel's side profile because she had yet to turn and face him.

"Hi, Rach," he said quietly.

"Hello, Noah," she replied, looking over at him as calmly as possible.

"Noooooah," Leah whined, "Do you want to watch _Hannah Montana_?"

Now normally, Puck would rather squirt bleach in his eyeballs than sit through four minutes of Miley Cyrus and her big teeth and her stupid brother and her shitty music. But Rachel was watching it….so he agreed.

Leah squealed and dragged him to the couch. Rachel scooted to the edge and he sat down in between the two girls.

"Why the hell is she wearing a lampshade on her head," Puck asked as soon as his eyes met the TV screen.

"You know how Lily is," was all Rachel could say because frankly, she didn't know why she had a lampshade on her head either.

"This show is LAME," Puck said a few minutes later, after Rico had made another dumb joke.

"You shut up, Noah. Hannah Montana is a genius. You're just jealous cause she sings better than you," Leah said indignantly. NOBODY messed with Hanna Montana in her house.

Puck threw his head back and stared up at the ceiling. The things he did for women….

Looking down, Puck noticed Rachel's hands sitting primly at her sides, palms down against the cushions. Slowly, Puck moved his hand until his index finger made contact with the outside of Rachel's hand. He felt her jerk slightly as he began drawing lazy, gentle circles with his finger on the top of Rachel's hand. He saw Rachel's face redden but she didn't look over at him.

He continued his soft ministrations for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of her supple skin against his fingertips. He was dying to make Leah go upstairs, throw Rachel down on the couch, and kiss her again. But Kurt had lectured him – for hours – that he needed to be seductive but not act horny. In other words, he needed to act contrary to what he would normally do. He heard Kurt's voice in his head (which was disturbing, to say the least), "Tonight is merely about planting the second seed of destruction, the first seed being that now Adam thinks Rachel has a drug problem." Puck snorted at the text message incident earlier today. Rachel looked over at him, confused because he was clearly not laughing at Hannah Montana, who now had the lampshade on HER head.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine…fine. Gotta love this Disney shit."

Rachel lifted her eyes heavenward in mock exasperation and then suddenly realized that Noah was home now, meaning she should be leaving. Standing up and straightening her skirt, Puck said, "You have to go? Now?"

"Well, I have some homework that I need to finish…and you're here now so I can leave Leah in your care."

Puck was bummed. He had barely gotten any time with her. And they still hadn't seen how Hannah would resolve the whole thing with the lampshade. But Rachel was making her way towards the door so he stood up and followed her out.

They walked to her car and as she started to get in, he stopped her. She met his eyes and he stepped in closer to her. Putting his hand under her chin, he lifted her head toward him and brought his face within inches of hers. "Rach, now that Stacey is gone, I hope we can rebuild our relationship again." She started to nod in agreement and then said, "And I'm not talking about just a friendship." He brushed his lips against hers and then turned and walked away, leaving her both confused and slightly aroused.

* * *

Arriving back home in an unsettled state, Rachel checked her email and was surprised to see an email from Adam.

Opening it up, she realized that it was the address to a substance abuse center with a note that said, "let me know if I can help."

Rachel gave the laptop screen a quizzical look. _Huh? _He obviously sent that to the wrong person. But at least she knew he hadn't died in a horrible car crash or had been abducted by aliens because the email was sent _after_ he was scheduled to pick her up. Still furious about being stood up, despite the curiously weird/hot/sweet evening she spent with Noah, she slammed her laptop closed. Adam was quickly becoming not such a wonderful boyfriend.

* * *

"This day was so weird, Kurt. First I got stood up and then Noah kissed me AGAIN and said something about building a relationship that was more than just friendship. And then I get home and there is some strange email from Adam about a substance abuse center."

Kurt smiled, twirling his hair with one hand as he supported his cell phone with the other. Rachel, on the other end, rambled on about what a Twilight-Zone day it was.

"Do…do you think Noah is interested in me? I mean, I know he kissed me and for any other boy, that would really mean something. But this is _Noah_ we're talking about and he is anything but normal because he's so….horny," she asked breathlessly through the phone.

"I don't know, Rachel… Only time will tell. And I'm sure tomorrow won't be as weird."

"I hope not. Well, goodnight, Kurt."

"Goodnight, Rachel."

Hanging up the phone, he smiled. So far, his plan was perfection!


	14. Puck the Puppeteer

**Author's Note: I'm a tease – I didn't tell you that Chapters 13 and 14 had to go together. So anyway, here is Chapter 14. This story was originally supposed to end with 12 chapters. I think that 15 will wrap it up…so there should only be one more after this. I have plans for a new story….and I miss writing smut so there will probably be smut involved in that one. I can't help it – Puck just screams sex.**

* * *

Tuesday morning, Puck got to school earlier than normal. He had to slip something into Rachel's locker before she got there and she always got there _so _early. For the second day in a row, he opened her locker and quickly left his calling card.

He had been unable to sleep the night before. As he lay in bed the night before, with the quiet of the night swirling around him, he was able to apply a little bit of clarity and common sense to the entire situation. When Rachel left last night, the real Puck, the Noah Puckerman that he truly was, _should _have said, "You know what, I'm doing playing these games. You're my woman. Got it?" Instead, he went all cryptic on her. Actually, he went all _Kurt_ on her. Puck prided himself on the fact that he was very, very direct. He hadn't banged half the moms in Lima by being meek and scared. And the more he thought about Kurt's elaborate plan, which included carefully orchestrated duets in Glee, janitors banning Rachel from eating lunch in the auditorium to force her into the cafeteria, and further text messages to her douchebag boyfriend, the more nervous he became. When he got up this morning (a full hour early), he ran downstairs and explained the whole thing to his mother. While she was aware of her part in it last night, she seemed confused by the level of detail involved.

"Noah, honey, I don't want to tell you how to win Rachel over…I think you know how to do that. I just want you to stop and really think about what it is that you want out of a relationship with her based on the fact that you already had a pretty good foundation built. Once you do that, everything falls into place."

Puck milled over her words. "So you're telling me to be myself?"

Dinah smiled. "Yes, baby. Your flawed, cocky self is better than any other type of you. And that's the you that Rachel cares the most about anyway."

He scrubbed at his the stubble on his head with his callused fingers. "You're right, Ma. All Kurt's crazy ideas, which would be great if this were a John Hughes movie or High School Musical 15, just don't…..they don't do what I need them to do because it's not _me _doing it."

"And _you _just think you need tell Rachel that you love her, that you're sorry, and that you need her in your life sooner than later?"

He exhaled. His mother was so awesome. Sometimes, he was sure she was psychic.

"Exactly. You're so good, Ma."

"You are too, Noah."

Puck grinned and kissed his mother before heading out the door. He had to make a stop before school started.

As he drove to school, he thought about his relationship with Rachel. Their friendship had been built on the very fact that she accepted him for who he was…flaws, unplanned pregnancies, cougars, and all. That was the beauty of their relationship. From the simple things they had done like hang out to work on homework, just drive around and sing stupidly, or spend time with his family, he had always been just Noah…and she was just Rachel. And the idea that he was selling himself out, becoming someone he wasn't, in order to win her back just didn't sit well. So today, he was about to make poor Kurt explode because, as much as Kurt liked to pull the strings, Noah Puckerman was a stud and didn't really need help from another dude. _Especially a gay dude_. Kurt's involvement yesterday helped spur things along, he would admit that. But as quickly as he thought he needed Kurt's help, he realized that he really didn't need it at all. So that morning, as he left Rachel another message, Puck was going rogue.

* * *

Rachel arrived to school about 20 minutes after Puck had sauntered away from her locker, humming to herself. Flipping open her locker, she was surprised to see a yellow rose inside. There was a delicate bow around the stem and a card attached to it. Opening the card, she read, "What If I….."

She read it over and over again, recognizing Noah's scrawl but not understanding the message. _What if I? What if I WHAT? _Rachel was exceptionally confused but so enamored with the idea that he had dropped a rose off at her locker. He was really working on the "relationship building" thing, whatever that relationship was. The nervous buzzing in her stomach told her that there was more to come before this day was over.

* * *

Between 2nd and 3rd periods, Puck heard his name being called shrilly. Turning, he saw Kurt racing forward, a demented look on his face.

"What is with the flower and the note? That's not in the plan." Kurt looked down at his checklist as if to confirm what he had just said and then reiterated, "That's NOT in the plan!"

Puck put a hand on his shoulder and maneuvered him into a quieter dead-end hall.

"Dude…I know it's not in the plan. I really appreciate your help but….all this shit....this isn't me! I'm PUCK…. I attract women like bears to honey. It's just better if I do this my own way. I really appreciate your help and I thank you for yesterday because you made things better and easier for me but at the end of the day, Rachel is mine and I need to win her in my own way."

Kurt glared up at him, completely shocked that this….this…..Meathead thought he had a better plan than his own.

"But we just began yesterday. And yesterday you were fine with all this! We haven't even gotten to the duets yet. That is supposed to be assigned today! And we haven't made her start eating lunch with you yet. We haven't done ANY OF THIS YET!" Kurt pointed to his checklist as proof of his words.

"Dude…how 'bout I just tell her I love her? I betcha my end result will be the same as yours."

Kurt engaged Puck in a stare-down and was annoyed to see that it wasn't working. Realizing that he wasn't going to win this battle, he said, "Fine, I'll call off the dogs. But if this blows up in your face, don't say I didn't warn you!" Then he stormed away. Puck just pursed his lips in a smirk. He _so_ had this…..

* * *

At the same time that Puck and Kurt were having a spat, Rachel opened her locker only to find another rose, this one pink, with another card attached. This one said,"…Told You That….."

_What if I? Told you that? What…if…I….told…you….that……._

He was sending her a message through roses. Rachel brought the rose to her nose, inhaling deeply and squealing at the same time. This was starting to get a little crazy. Her heart pounding and a million love songs zipping through her brain, she rushed off to her next class.

* * *

At lunch, Puck left the quiet of the hallway and slipped into the auditorium. He knew Rachel was having her normal lunch behind the curtain. His hands were a little more moist than normal; his breath, a little more ragged. But he had to do this…. He had to do this now, before anything else got in the way or Kurt tried to block him in order to execute the elaborate hook-up plan despite his protests.

Rachel was quietly reading a book with the two roses by her side when she heard footsteps ascending the stairs to the stage. Peeking out, she saw Noah make a beeline toward her.

He stopped in front of her and looked down, which afforded him a great view straight down her shirt. He remembered kissing her breasts on Saturday night and shuddered. _God, she's hot. _

Without saying a word, Puck handed her the third rose. She took is timidly and smiled at him. He held his breath as she opened the card and read, "…I love you?"

_What if I told you that I love you?_

Rachel's head jerked up to look him and their eyes met…..


	15. Confessions

_**What if I told you I love you?**_

Rachel was stunned. Dumbfounded, maybe. Perhaps even flabbergasted. She expected a lot of things from Noah. She had _taken_ a lot of things from Noah. But she never expected _this_. Dreamed of it, yes. Constantly. Expected it? _No way_. She looked up into Puck's hopeful eyes and then down at the three flowers with the notes, then back to Puck's eyes, then back down to the notes.

Finally, she opened her mouth. "Noah, I...."

Puck was on his knees on the floor beside her in a flash, cutting her off. "Rachel, let me talk first."

She nodded dumbly, her eyes filling with tears as realization started to hit her.

Puck slid close to her, realizing that his hands were shaking as he reached for Rachel's hand. Taking it in his own, he sucked in a breath. "Rach, I am sorry. I am so sorry that I've been such a rotten friend. You were there for me when the rest of the world thought I was a useless asshole...And then I dropped you like a sack of shit when I started dating Stacey. And I'm so sorry." He rubbed his free hand over his strip of hair and glanced down at the roses splayed on the floor next to her. "Can we start over? But not like before. Because I realized – like it hit me like a fucking semi on Saturday during our stupid double date - that I am completely, one-thousand-fucking-percent in love with you and I don't just want to be your friend anymore. I don't know if you'll ever be able to love me THAT way...but if you think you can...I mean if you...."

Rachel had never heard such a beautiful, expletive-laden confession of love in her life. Finally, she couldn't handle his rambling anymore. His nervousness and hesitancy, which were two words that she had _never_ before used to describe him, were breaking her heart. He needed put out of his obvious misery. "Noah, shut up for five seconds, please?"

He silently nodded, staring at her with wide-eyed expectations.

She took a breath, much the same as he had done. "You don't have to ask me if you THINK I could love you, Noah. I have loved you for months. Long before Stacey was in the picture, I loved you. I love you now. I...I....." His lips captured hers before she could finish her confession.

Pulling apart, he leaned his forehead against hers. "You still have that boyfriend thing to deal with, you know."

"Well, he thinks I have a drug problem for some reason so that shouldn't be a problem."

Puck snickered. "You need to ask Kurt about that whole thing...."

Her mouth dropped open....She was going to kill that boy! "Well, I will tell him tonight that it's over. Unfortunately, and it's really terrible to say, he was just a fill-in for you anyway."

They kissed again and then just simply held each other. Rachel could feel his heart pounding against her chest...he could feel the same.

Pulling apart again, she kissed his forehead and said, "The idea that you went to the trouble to get the three different colors of roses makes it even more romantic.... I mean, the color of each rose in itself means so much."

_Oh shit. Huh?_

"Huh? I mean.... there is meaning in the color of a rose?" He looked completely confused.

"She slapped his arm. Of course, Noah! The color of a rose conveys a message in and of itself. This yellow one," she said, picking it up and running it over his cheeks, "means friendship." She put the yellow one down and picked up the pink one, brushing it over his forehead. "The pink one means appreciation." Finally, she picked up the red one. "And this one," she brushed it over his lips, "means love..."

Puck smirked. "Damn, I'm good, baby. I was sending you messages that I didn't even realize I was sending you ON TOP of the messages that I was actually _trying_ sending you. God, I am such a stud! I don't even have to try..... I'm just _that_ awesome!"

Rachel looked at him. "So you knew absolutely nothing about the whole "color of a rose means something" thing?"

"Hell no...I just thought they were pretty together."

She rolled her eyes, knowing that, at that exact moment, she had never loved this doltish hottie more.

"Sooooo....." he drawled as casually as possible. "You wanna get out of here?"

"Noah, it's the middle of the school day!"

"And? I'm not seeing the problem here, Berry."

She looked confused. "But...I mean....what would we do?"

He looked at her with eyes conveying a message that made her immediately flush with desire. Without saying word, she suddenly knew _exactly_ what he meant.

Smiling, she held her hand out so he could help her up from the cold stage floor. He immediately picked her up in his arms, pushing her against the wall. Her legs instinctively went around his waist and he supported her behind in his hands. They kissed fiercely. Both felt like they were making up for lost time.

Puck's lips moved across every available inch of Rachel's exposed skin until she was shaking from intense arousal. She felt like she was going to literally come undone against the back wall of the stage.

"Yes, Noah....," she moaned breathlessly, "I think that we _should_ get out of here......."

He pulled back from her, lips detaching from her neck, to look her square in the eyes. "You sure, Berry? I mean, it's you're call but I'm just......"

She locked her brown eyes with his hazel, desire-laden eyes. "Noah, shut up and take me to your house."

He grinned a Cheshire Cat-like grin, kissed her again, and then practically pulled her out of the building and into his truck. His mother wouldn't be home for _hours _yet.

* * *

**A/N: So it's over..... I'm going to miss this one. They were so cute!**

**Tonight, I will be posting the first chapter to my new story called "To Have and to Hold." It's a total Alternate Universe fic..... Puck and Rachel are adults who never went to high school together but....well....you'll see! (And it is totally rated M.) :)**


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